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Valley Atwater Community

Q: Is Valley Atwater Community a good school?

Valley Atwater Community ranks in the bottom 2.5% of California high schools.

Q: How many students attend Valley Atwater Community?

In the 2024-25 school year, 122 students attended Valley Atwater Community.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Valley Atwater Community?

Students at Valley Atwater Community are 82% Hispanic, 11% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American.

Public Grades 6-12

2108^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 2% of California high schools

Summary

Valley Atwater Community is a small, grades 6-12 school of 122 students in Atwater, CA, operated by the Merced County Office of Education and serving a student population with very high economic need.

The school faces significant academic challenges, with proficiency rates in core subjects far below those of larger comprehensive high schools in the area like El Capitan High or Buhach Colony High. However, it has shown important positive trends, dramatically improving its chronic absenteeism rate and raising its graduation rate from 37% to 72.4% over five years. Compared to other alternative schools, it performs better than Come Back Charter but its graduation rate is lower than Independence High (Alternative).

Valley Atwater Community operates with a smaller student body and a more favorable student-teacher ratio than most traditional high schools in the Merced Union High district, and it spends more per student. Despite these resources, academic outcomes remain a critical area for improvement, indicating the school serves students with profound needs within a broader county context of educational difficulty.

122

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,948

Per pupil spending ?

94.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1800 Matthew Ave.
Atwater, CA 95301-2079

(209) 381-4550

District: Merced County Office of Education

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

82.0%

White:

11.5%

Two or more races:

3.3%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Valley Atwater Community to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 15th percentile in 2012 → 2nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (2% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!Graduation rate below the California average (72% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school2%

District avg9%

California avg41%

Middle school

2,747^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 2 pts since 2024

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

2,108^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 2%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Merced County Office of Education

1475^th of 1,543Merced County Office of Education 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	4.3	2747 of 2761	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.7	2702 of 2783	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	2.8	2234 of 2259	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	7.4	2136 of 2236	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	5.7	2108 of 2179	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	8.2	1949 of 2063	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	5.1	1952 of 2005	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	4.3	1991 of 1999	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	4.3	2388 of 2395	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.2	2379 of 2388	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	4.4	2531 of 2542	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.3	2510 of 2579	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	4.1	2529 of 2534	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	8.2	2108 of 2162	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.0	2122 of 2159	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.4	1253 of 1290	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.7	1932 of 2133	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.8	1994 of 2017	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	8.2	2010 of 2021	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	7.8	2010 of 2039	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	7.4	1982 of 1994	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	12.0	2021 of 2426	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	10.7	1992 of 2354	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	14.9	1854 of 2367	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	18.4	1688 of 2281	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	26.1	1574 of 2238	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	14.5	1772 of 2117	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	16.2	1661 of 2063	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	47.5	679 of 1968	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2005	21.9	1326 of 1901	30.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	7.4	1860 of 1906	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.6	1842 of 1915	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.6	1793 of 1833	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	8.0	1849 of 1900	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.6	1867 of 1902	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.2	1715 of 1814	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.7	1684 of 1742	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	8.6	1947 of 2013	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.2	1985 of 2026	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.6	1079 of 1126	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.4	1742 of 1937	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.2	1838 of 1862	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	7.8	1887 of 1942	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.2	1934 of 1948	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.8	1082 of 1122	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.4	1607 of 1880	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.8	1822 of 1834	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)<1st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)<1st percentile~ school

Male (2025)<1st percentile~ school

High school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)2nd percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy7%-42 vs state

Mathematics0%-37 vs state

Science0%-33 vs state

★

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Schools Near Valley Atwater Community

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 (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 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	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
Valley Atwater Community	Public	6-12	1800 Matthew Ave.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Merced County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 381-4550	122	8	15.6	94.3%	14 (11.5%)	3 (2.5%)	100 (82.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.3%)	8.2	2108^th of 2162 public high schools	2.5%		9	2122^nd of 2159 public high schools	1.7%	14	0.0	0.0		0.0	0.0	9.8	6.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	$20,948	$1,944	$19,004
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	$13,130	$1,908	$11,222
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	$13,560	$1,548	$12,012
Livingston High	Public	9-12	1617 Main St.	Livingston	95334	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 398-3200	1,169	56	20.9	85.5%	41 (3.5%)	7 (0.6%)	994 (85.0%)	114 (9.8%)	5 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	6 (0.5%)	24.9	1598^th of 2162 public high schools	26.1%		26.1	1571^st of 2159 public high schools	27.2%	27		13.8		13.8		34.5	34.5		9.0	9.0	$14,910	$1,582	$13,328
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)
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							$11,488	$752	$10,736
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	$12,194	$1,105	$11,089
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	$20,460	$3,034	$17,426
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	$27,616	$1,539	$26,077
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	$12,870	$2,058	$10,812

Frequently Asked Questions about Valley Atwater Community

What district is Valley Atwater Community in?

Merced County Office of Education

What is the racial makeup of Valley Atwater Community?

Students at Valley Atwater Community are 82% Hispanic, 11% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American.

How many students attend Valley Atwater Community?

In the 2024-25 school year, 122 students attended Valley Atwater Community.

Is Valley Atwater Community a good school?

Valley Atwater Community ranks in the bottom 2.5% of California high schools.

Rate Valley Atwater Community!

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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.