Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

El Capitan High

Q: Is El Capitan High a good school?

El Capitan High ranks 1085 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1085^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 50% of California high schools

Summary

El Capitan High is a large public high school serving grades 9-12 with about 1,800 students in Merced Union High School District, a district that faces significant economic challenges across the community.

When compared to other traditional high schools in the area, El Capitan stands out for getting students to graduation day. It has the highest graduation rate (98%) and the lowest dropout rate in the district, outperforming schools like Merced High and Golden Valley High. Academically, its performance in English Language Arts is strong relative to the district, but like all schools in the Merced Union High district, it struggles with very low math proficiency rates. Its closest academic competitor is Buhach Colony High, though El Capitan achieves its higher graduation rate while spending slightly less per student.

An interesting point for parents is the school's apparent strength in supporting vulnerable students to graduate, even when standardized test scores are modest. The school also shows notable performance variability for different student groups, excelling in some areas while needing clear improvement in others, such as for its Asian student population. For families, El Capitan represents a school highly focused on student persistence and completion, though those with college-bound students should be aware of the district-wide need for supplemental math support.

1,793

Students ?

21.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,450

Per pupil spending ?

76.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

100 West Farmland
Merced, CA 95348-8632

(209) 384-5500

District: Merced Union High

Feeder schools for El Capitan High:

Elementary:	Alicia Reyes Elementary
	Allan Peterson Elementary
	Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary
	Franklin Elementary
	More...
	Joe Stefani
	Leontine Gracey Elementary
	Margaret Sheehy Elementary
	Snelling-Merced Falls Elementary
Middle:	Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle
	Tenaya Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

65.4%

White:

13.6%

Asian:

12.6%

See top rated California high schools

Compare El Capitan High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 60th percentile in 2015 → 50th in 2025

Strengths

✓98% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Merced Union High

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (32% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school32%

District avg26%

California avg41%

1,085^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 50%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From top 40% (2015) to top 50% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 8High Schools in the Merced Union High

1134^th of 1,543Merced Union High among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.5	1085 of 2162	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.3	1073 of 2159	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.0	1241 of 2170	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.4	877 of 2123	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.4	642 of 1290	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.4	667 of 2133	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.4	964 of 2017	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	58.4	829 of 2021	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	62.1	735 of 2039	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	57.9	789 of 1994	60.4%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.5	346 of 523	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.2	267 of 517	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.7	213 of 521	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	77.5	83 of 522	84.1%	★★★★☆
2019	50.7	255 of 592	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	29.7	404 of 582	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.2	506 of 585	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.5	490 of 573	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.4	453 of 591	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.6	425 of 581	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.2	464 of 582	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.4	517 of 581	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	26.6	929 of 1161	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.9	353 of 555	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.9	401 of 1117	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	36.8	585 of 1052	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	39.3	600 of 1085	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.3	678 of 1064	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	60.2	201 of 1044	80.7%	★★★★☆
2021	74.9	59 of 467	87.4%	★★★★☆
2019	67.9	128 of 941	86.4%	★★★★☆
2018	25.4	739 of 938	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.0	911 of 1906	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.9	1047 of 1915	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	1175 of 1915	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.0	1002 of 1858	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.1	589 of 1054	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.2	694 of 1833	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.0	940 of 1760	46.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	46.9	1005 of 1900	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.5	1068 of 1902	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.3	1343 of 1917	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.6	1028 of 1861	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.9	576 of 1814	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.2	883 of 1742	49.3%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.8	175 of 410	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.5	68 of 328	79.3%	★★★★☆
2023	38.0	175 of 299	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	64.2	77 of 290	73.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.1	1035 of 2013	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.3	1092 of 2026	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.8	1396 of 2030	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.0	952 of 1943	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.2	600 of 1126	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.7	661 of 1937	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.4	886 of 1862	52.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.4	1141 of 1942	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.4	952 of 1948	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.3	1161 of 1963	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.1	664 of 1916	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.0	577 of 1122	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.2	609 of 1880	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.8	897 of 1834	51.1%	★★★☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	13.3	72 of 74	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.1	312 of 577	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.3	458 of 1252	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	29.7	831 of 1216	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	19.0	1120 of 1197	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.3	745 of 1155	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.1	557 of 1173	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.3	720 of 1193	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.1	517 of 1204	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.4	376 of 1222	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.8	594 of 1173	49.4%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2025)63rd percentile+14 vs school

Homeless (2025)57th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)52nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)49th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)47th percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)46th percentile-4 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)45th percentile-6 vs school

Male (2025)41st percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)35th percentile-14 vs school

African American (2025)34th percentile-16 vs school

Disabled (2022)20th percentile-39 vs school

Asian (2025)14th percentile-36 vs school

Migrant (2023)3rd percentile-40 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy54%+5 vs state

Science28%-4 vs state

Mathematics14%-23 vs state

1.0

1 rating

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

Rate El Capitan High

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near El Capitan High

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
El Capitan High	Public	9-12	100 West Farmland	Merced	95348	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 384-5500	1,793	85	21.1	76.2%	243 (13.6%)	89 (5.0%)	1,173 (65.4%)	226 (12.6%)	3 (0.2%)	7 (0.4%)	47 (2.6%)	47.5	1085^th of 2162 public high schools	49.8%		47.3	1073^rd of 2159 public high schools	50.3%	12	28.5	20.0	28.2	53.6	53.6	14.3	14.3	$25,450	$23,858	$1,592
Come Back Charter	Public, Charter	9-12	350 West Yosemite Ave	Merced	95348	Merced County	Merced County Office of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 386-6025	128	5	27.2	88.3%	20 (15.6%)	3 (2.3%)	99 (77.3%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	3 (2.3%)								(n/a)		4.8	4.8					$24,198	$23,996	$202
Merced High	Public	9-12	205 West Olive Ave.	Merced	95348	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1000	1,943	86	22.5	79.4%	262 (13.5%)	107 (5.5%)	1,326 (68.2%)	142 (7.3%)	12 (0.6%)	7 (0.4%)	84 (4.3%)	36	1358^th of 2162 public high schools	37.2%		36	1339^th of 2159 public high schools	38.0%	19	21.1		21.6	41.6	41.6	14.5	14.5	$24,070	$22,352	$1,718
Yosemite High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	1900 G St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1600	342	21	16.0	83.3%	39 (11.4%)	18 (5.3%)	266 (77.8%)	10 (2.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.0%)	10.5	1999^th of 2162 public high schools	7.5%		9.7	2088^th of 2159 public high schools	3.3%	89	4.7		4.4	10.8	10.8	2.3	2.3	$47,529	$45,556	$1,973
Independence High (Alternative)	Public	9-12	1900 G St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1600	87	10	8.2	88.5%	13 (14.9%)	9 (10.3%)	61 (70.1%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.4%)	12.1	1910^th of 2162 public high schools	11.7%		12.4	1921^st of 2159 public high schools	11.0%	11	5.3		4.7	20.5	20.5	0.0	0.0	$45,701	$44,854	$847
Sequoia High	Public	9-12	1900 G St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1700	77	9	8.9	90.9%	10 (13.0%)	3 (3.9%)	63 (81.8%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Merced County Regional Occupational Program	Public	11-12	632 West 13th St.	Merced	95341	Merced County	Merced County Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(209) 381-6740	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Golden Valley High	Public	9-12	2121 East Childs Ave.	Merced	95344	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1800	1,917	90	21.3	85.1%	178 (9.3%)	96 (5.0%)	1,393 (72.7%)	182 (9.5%)	12 (0.6%)	4 (0.2%)	51 (2.7%)	36.4	1347^th of 2162 public high schools	37.7%		38.2	1288^th of 2159 public high schools	40.3%	59	20.1	6.3	19.6	40.8	40.8	17.1	17.1	$25,089	$23,500	$1,589
Buhach Colony High	Public	9-12	1800 Buhach Rd.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1400	1,704	76	22.5	78.5%	261 (15.3%)	36 (2.1%)	1,187 (69.7%)	169 (9.9%)	14 (0.8%)	2 (0.1%)	34 (2.0%)	50.3	1032^nd of 2162 public high schools	52.3%		36.7	1322^nd of 2159 public high schools	38.8%	290	31.6	40.0	31.9	53.0	53.0	15.3	15.3	$26,106	$24,400	$1,706
Atwater High	Public	9-12	2201 Fruitland Ave.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1200	2,029	98	20.6	82.1%	251 (12.4%)	30 (1.5%)	1,654 (81.5%)	54 (2.7%)	8 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (1.6%)	35.9	1362^nd of 2162 public high schools	37.0%		37.9	1294^th of 2159 public high schools	40.1%	68	22.2	7.1	21.7	41.5	41.5	13.5	13.5	$25,953	$24,340	$1,613

Frequently Asked Questions about El Capitan High

What is the racial makeup of El Capitan High?

Students at El Capitan High are 65% Hispanic, 14% White, 13% Asian, 5% African American, 3% Two or more races.

How many students attend El Capitan High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,793 students attended El Capitan High.

Is El Capitan High a good school?

El Capitan High ranks 1085^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into El Capitan High?

El Capitan High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Alicia Reyes Elementary
Elementary : Allan Peterson Elementary
Elementary : Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary
Elementary : Franklin Elementary
Elementary : Joe Stefani
Elementary : Leontine Gracey Elementary
Elementary : Margaret Sheehy Elementary
Elementary : Snelling-Merced Falls Elementary
Middle : Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle
Middle : Tenaya Middle

What district is El Capitan High in?

Merced Union High

Rate El Capitan High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia High School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Merced, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for El Capitan High!

Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.