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Valley Atwater Community

Q: Is Valley Atwater Community a good school?

Valley Atwater Community ranks in the bottom 7.5% 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

1974^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,135 California High Schools

Better than 8% of California high schools

Summary

Valley Atwater Community is a small school in Atwater, in Merced County, serving 122 students in grades 6–12. In 2025–2026, about 9% of students were proficient in English language arts (ELA) and science, and none were proficient in math. The clearest concern is that proficiency is very low across all three subjects, with math the weakest result.

Science is the school’s strongest subject relative to the state and nearby schools, while math is its weakest. The school’s rates were 40 percentage points below California in ELA, 38 below in math, and 27 below in science. Compared with the nearby-school averages, it was lower by 25 points in ELA, 13 in math, and 10 in science; it had the lowest math rate among nearby schools with data. Its results were slightly better than the Merced County Office of Education district rates in ELA and science, by 3 and 2 points, but 3 points lower in math. Completion is a more encouraging picture: the 2025–2026 graduation rate was 86%, 12 points above the district rate and 2 below the state rate.

Graduation has climbed from 50% in 2021–2022 to 86% in 2025–2026, a 36-point gain, even as math proficiency fell from 2% in 2023–2024 to 0%; science rose from 1% to 9%. SchoolDigger placed the school at the 8th percentile with 0 stars in 2025–2026, up 6 percentile points from the prior year but below nearby schools with rank data, which ranged from the 10th to 55th percentiles. Its 2024–2025 student-teacher ratio was 15.6, the second-lowest among nearby schools with data. In 2024–2025, 94% of students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, among the highest rates reported by nearby schools. With 122 students, some results may be sensitive to small changes in the number of students measured.

122

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,782

Per pupil spending ?

94.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

1800 Matthew Ave.
Atwater, CA 95341-2079

(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: Rebounding — 1st percentile in 2017 → 8th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 8th (2026) from a 1st-percentile low (2017)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (6% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Dropout rate above the California average (14% vs 8%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school6%

District avg5%

California avg42%

Middle school

2,719^th of 2,740

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 2 pts since 2024

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

1,974^th of 2,135

California public high schools ?

Bottom 8%▲ up 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 1% (2016) to bottom 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3High Schools in the Merced County Office of Education

1506^th of 1,530Merced 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
2026	4.2	2719 of 2740	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	3.2	2350 of 2357	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	5.0	2503 of 2529	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	9.5	1974 of 2135	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	6.5	1853 of 1880	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	9.7	1849 of 1997	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	5.8	1916 of 1930	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
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 (2026)1st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)<1st percentile~ school

Male (2025)<1st percentile~ school

High school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)7th percentile~ school

Female (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)1st percentile-6 vs school

Male (2026)1st percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy9%-40 vs state

Science9%-27 vs state

Mathematics0%-38 vs state

★

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Schools Near Valley Atwater Community

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)					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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	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	95341	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%)	9.5	1974^th of 2135 public high schools	7.5%		8.2	2108^th of 2162 public high schools	2.5%	134	7.1	8.0		8.5		0.0	7.1	11.5	8.9		0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	$26,782	$1,039	$25,743
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%)	37.2	1339^th of 2135 public high schools	37.3%		35.9	1362^nd of 2162 public high schools	37.0%	23		27.8		28.0				40.4	40.4				16.2	16.2	$19,824	$1,613	$18,211
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%)	53.2	969^th of 2135 public high schools	54.6%		50.3	1032^nd of 2162 public high schools	52.3%	63		32.7		32.4				53.3	53.3				25.1	25.1	$19,947	$1,706	$18,241
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%)	33	1424^th of 2135 public high schools	33.3%		24.9	1598^th of 2162 public high schools	26.1%	174		24.4		24.3				42.3	42.3				10.5	10.5	$21,786	$1,846	$19,940
Valley Merced Community	Public	6-12	1850 Wardrobe Ave.	Merced	95341	Merced County	Merced County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 381-4500	99	5	20.2	94.9%	10 (10.1%)	10 (10.1%)	76 (76.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.0%)	10.6	1913^th of 2135 public high schools	10.4%		8.6	2093^rd of 2162 public high schools	3.2%	180	4.2	4.6	0.0	3.5			4.2	0.0	3.6			0.0	8.7	5.6	$20,661	$503	$20,158
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	95341	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)			14.3	14.3											$13,606	$202	$13,404
Merced High	Public	9-12	205 West Olive Ave.	Merced	95344	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%)	34.4	1389^th of 2135 public high schools	34.9%		36	1358^th of 2162 public high schools	37.2%	31		23.1		22.8				41.1	41.1				15.6	15.6	$18,935	$1,718	$17,217
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%)	11	1888^th of 2135 public high schools	11.6%		10.5	1999^th of 2162 public high schools	7.5%	111		3.7		4.3				8.2	8.2				8.1	8.1	$30,792	$1,973	$28,819
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%)	18.8	1674^th of 2135 public high schools	21.6%		12.1	1910^th of 2162 public high schools	11.7%	236		14.3		14.0				32.1	32.1				1.8	1.8	$29,315	$847	$28,468

Frequently Asked Questions about Valley Atwater Community

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.

What district is Valley Atwater Community in?

Merced County Office of Education

Is Valley Atwater Community a good school?

Valley Atwater Community ranks in the bottom 7.5% of California high schools.

Rate Valley Atwater Community!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026

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.