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Pioneer Elementary

Q: Is Pioneer Elementary a good school?

Pioneer Elementary ranks 3203 rd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

3203^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 45% of California elementary schools

Summary

Pioneer Elementary is a large public K-5 school serving 1,055 students in the Weaver Union district in Merced, where it ranks slightly above average within its own district and just below the state average overall.

The school serves a community with significant economic need, yet it shows particular strengths in supporting English Learners and students from low-income families, often outperforming other schools with similar demographics. For instance, while its overall scores are similar to its sister school, Farmdale Elementary, Pioneer achieves this with lower per-student spending. The school has also made impressive progress in reducing chronic student absenteeism, cutting the rate nearly in half over the past few years.

Areas for growth include science, where proficiency is notably lower than the state average and behind higher-performing neighbors like Allan Peterson Elementary. Math scores also show an unusual pattern, with a peak in 4th grade that drops significantly by 5th grade. Despite a rapid increase in the number of students qualifying for free lunch, the school's academic ranking has actually improved, suggesting its instructional model is resilient in the face of demographic change.

1,055

Students ?

20.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,836

Per pupil spending ?

91.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2950 Gerard Ave.
Merced, CA 95341-5433

(209) 725-7111

District: Weaver Union

Students who attend Pioneer Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Weaver Middle
High:	Golden Valley High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

73.3%

Asian:

9.3%

White:

7.0%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 25th percentile in 2022 → 45th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 45th (2025) from a 25th-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (36% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!Science scores 15 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg32%

California avg41%

3,203^rd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 45%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 40% (2015) to bottom 45% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Elementary Schools in the Weaver Union

925^th of 1,543Weaver Union 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	40.2	3203 of 5857	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.3	3283 of 5869	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.0	3570 of 5859	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.7	4383 of 5883	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.6	3095 of 5789	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.0	3084 of 5662	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	35.8	3382 of 5692	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	33.9	3488 of 5614	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.3	3377 of 5611	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	59.6	2134 of 5530	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	54.6	2359 of 5390	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	42.1	3080 of 5377	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.5	3018 of 5314	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	42.9	2874 of 5193	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	49.5	2396 of 5113	53.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	20.7	584 of 661	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.6	537 of 747	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.6	1058 of 1203	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	4.9	1129 of 1205	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.3	1138 of 1190	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.4	1073 of 1154	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.6	1017 of 1149	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.6	966 of 1071	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	46.1	906 of 2227	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.3	1255 of 2585	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	29.6	1467 of 2128	31.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	62.0	653 of 3162	79.3%	★★★★☆
2023	51.5	1110 of 3245	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.4	1921 of 3311	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.5	808 of 3275	75.3%	★★★★☆
2018	52.3	1146 of 3246	64.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.7	3181 of 5597	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.0	2802 of 5612	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.6	3319 of 5609	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.3	4286 of 5635	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.0	3048 of 5492	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.6	2981 of 5413	44.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	56.0	1923 of 5107	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.5	2233 of 5107	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.0	2291 of 5087	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.4	3423 of 5084	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.8	2053 of 4963	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.4	1937 of 4830	59.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.6	2094 of 5460	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.5	2157 of 5517	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.1	2977 of 5363	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.9	3935 of 5264	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.9	2411 of 5173	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.9	2305 of 5084	54.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.9	2997 of 5628	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.5	3610 of 5643	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.6	3568 of 5638	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.6	4081 of 5663	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.7	2932 of 5510	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.5	3010 of 5431	44.6%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	7.5	674 of 718	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.7	629 of 669	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	1.9	601 of 610	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.7	1472 of 2847	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.3	1410 of 2635	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.9	1520 of 2420	37.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.0	2038 of 2598	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.4	2006 of 2651	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	2135 of 2661	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.2	2416 of 2726	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.7	2181 of 2834	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.3	2276 of 2737	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)79th percentile+35 vs school

Hispanic (2025)62nd percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)62nd percentile+16 vs school

Disabled (2022)59th percentile+34 vs school

Special Education (2025)48th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)47th percentile~ school

Female (2025)43rd percentile~ school

White (2025)22nd percentile-24 vs school

Asian (2025)12th percentile-33 vs school

African American (2023)12th percentile-27 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)6th percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy42%-7 vs state

Mathematics36%~ state avg

Science18%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pioneer Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations 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)					% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 5th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pioneer Elementary	Public	K-5	2950 Gerard Ave.	Merced	95341	Merced County	Weaver Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 725-7111	1,055	52	20.3	91.2%	74 (7.0%)	46 (4.4%)	773 (73.3%)	98 (9.3%)	5 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	57 (5.4%)	40.2	3203^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	45.3%		38.3	3283^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	44.1%	80	17.6	17.6	33.7	48.8	43.6		41.8	36.4	47.9	24.2		36.2	95.6	97.8		97.8	97.8	97.8	$17,836	$2,855	$14,981
Charles Wright Elementary	Public	K-6	900 East 20th St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6615	527	24	22.0	80.3%	60 (11.4%)	5 (0.9%)	402 (76.3%)	23 (4.4%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (6.3%)	25.2	4373^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	25.3%		22.3	4653^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	20.7%	280	16.4	16.4	33.8	34.9	30.1	38.0	34.3	36.4	20.3	20.6	8.9	21.5							$18,304	$2,340	$15,964
Ada Givens Elementary	Public	K-6	2900 Green St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6610	579	25	23.2	78.9%	86 (14.9%)	30 (5.2%)	402 (69.4%)	35 (6.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.3%)	24.1	4486^th of 5857 public elementary schools	23.4%		34.4	3565^th of 5869 public elementary schools	39.3%	921	17.8	17.8	31.7	33.8	31.5	27.5	31.0	39.0	26.3	17.8	11.0	23.3	96.5	98.2		98.2	97.4	98.2	$18,190	$2,597	$15,593
Don Stowell Elementary	Public	K-6	251 East 11th St.	Merced	95341	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 381-2803	501	23	21.8	96.0%	17 (3.4%)	25 (5.0%)	437 (87.2%)	12 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.0%)	14.5	5312^th of 5857 public elementary schools	9.3%		12.1	5549^th of 5869 public elementary schools	5.5%	237	13.2	13.2	20.0	16.4	23.7	28.0	22.2	30.8	18.9	10.9	7.9	16.3	92.8		94.2	97.1	94.2		$17,843	$2,511	$15,332
Farmdale Elementary	Public	K-5	100 Winder Ave.	Merced	95341	Merced County	Weaver Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 725-7170	919	44	20.7	92.9%	41 (4.5%)	31 (3.4%)	682 (74.2%)	149 (16.2%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	14 (1.5%)	40.8	3162^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	46.0%		28.5	4070^th of 5869 public elementary schools	30.7%	908	12.3	12.3	57.6	38.1	27.8		41.1	68.4	33.1	16.6		39.2	98.2						$19,104	$3,058	$16,046
Luther Burbank Elementary	Public	K-6	609 East Alexander Ave.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6674	716	28	25.6	70.9%	130 (18.2%)	20 (2.8%)	430 (60.1%)	75 (10.5%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	54 (7.5%)	44.1	2947^th of 5857 public elementary schools	49.7%		45.6	2825^th of 5869 public elementary schools	51.9%	122	37.7	37.7	33.3	41.5	55.3	43.4	43.8	39.4	27.4	28.1	30.0	31.1	95.1		96.3		96.3		$16,207	$2,290	$13,917
Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary	Public	K-6	3200 Parsons Ave.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6620	722	29	24.8	59.6%	138 (19.1%)	33 (4.6%)	433 (60.0%)	65 (9.0%)	4 (0.6%)	3 (0.4%)	46 (6.4%)	44.8	2901^st of 5857 public elementary schools	50.5%		43.6	2955^th of 5869 public elementary schools	49.7%	54	30.7	30.7	52.6	46.4	38.6	48.0	46.3	47.4	33.0	18.0	27.8	31.4	97.1		98.1				$16,640	$2,322	$14,318
John Muir Elementary	Public	K-6	300 West 26th St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6667	613	24	25.6	88.6%	58 (9.5%)	42 (6.9%)	437 (71.3%)	42 (6.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.2%)	23	4592^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	21.6%		25.1	4356^th of 5869 public elementary schools	25.8%	236	24.4	24.4	17.9	17.9	34.6	35.6	26.4	19.1	15.5	21.8	32.2	22.2	93.1	96.6			93.1	96.6	$17,334	$2,439	$14,895
Alicia Reyes Elementary	Public	K-6	123 South N St.	Merced	95341	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6761	540	22	24.6	96.3%	6 (1.1%)	13 (2.4%)	495 (91.7%)	16 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.5%)	9.7	5650^th of 5857 public elementary schools	3.5%		16.3	5189^th of 5869 public elementary schools	11.6%	461	12.5	12.5	13.3	14.0	21.9	22.5	17.8	14.7	10.5	11.1	5.6	10.2							$18,282	$2,395	$15,887
Allan Peterson Elementary	Public	K-6	848 East Donna Dr.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6700	690	27	25.6	67.0%	139 (20.1%)	28 (4.1%)	386 (55.9%)	83 (12.0%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (7.1%)	48.7	2663^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	54.5%		43.5	2962^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	49.5%	299	37.4	37.4	47.4	28.6	58.6	46.2	45.5	44.3	29.7	39.4	26.9	35.3	94.9	97.5		94.9	97.5	96.2	$17,308	$2,434	$14,874

Frequently Asked Questions about Pioneer Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Pioneer Elementary?

Students at Pioneer Elementary are 73% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 7% White, 5% Two or more races, 4% African American.

What district is Pioneer Elementary in?

Weaver Union

What schools do graduates of Pioneer Elementary attend?

Students who attend Pioneer Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Weaver Middle
High : Golden Valley High

Is Pioneer Elementary a good school?

Pioneer Elementary ranks 3203^rd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Pioneer Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,055 students attended Pioneer Elementary.

Rate Pioneer Elementary!

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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.