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Best High Schools in Zip Code 95301

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its California rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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At a glance

Schools

3,733

Students

Top rankedBuhach Colony High969^th of 2,135 California high schools

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Biggest riser

Buhach Colony High up 63 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

ZIP code 95301 has two public high schools, Atwater High and Buhach Colony High, and both serve grades 9–12. Their results differ notably despite the same grade span: Buhach Colony is ahead in all three tested subjects, with the widest gap in English language arts (ELA).

Buhach Colony is the stronger academic performer overall: in 2025–2026, 53% of students were proficient in ELA, 25% in math, and 32% in science, compared with 40%, 16%, and 28% at Atwater. The schools’ differences were 13 percentage points in ELA, 9 in math, and 4 in science. Both schools were below state results in math and science; in ELA, Buhach Colony was 4 points above the state, while Atwater was 9 points below. SchoolDigger also ranked Buhach Colony at the 55th statewide percentile with 3 stars, versus the 37th percentile and 2 stars for Atwater.

Recent progress is strongest in math, but gains vary by school and subject. From 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, Buhach Colony math proficiency rose 10 points, while Atwater science rose 6 points; Atwater ELA slipped 1 point. The two-school math average improved, narrowing its gap with the state from 23 to 18 points, while the ELA gap widened slightly and the science gap was essentially unchanged. As context, Atwater has a lower student-teacher ratio (20.6 versus 22.5) and a higher share reported as free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025 (82% versus 79%); these differences do not explain the test results. SchoolDigger rankings also show contrasting longer-term movement: Buhach Colony rose from the 39th to 55th percentile over three years, while Atwater moved from the 40th to 37th.

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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 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
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

Cities Near Zip Code 95301

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Atwater	0.3 mi	14	559^th
Winton	2.12 mi	5	417^th
Merced	4.34 mi	38	709^th
Livingston	4.55 mi	7	682^nd
Cressey	5.66 mi	1

See the top CA California cities

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.