Best Public Schools in Zip Code 95340

This analysis covers 13 public schools in the Merced, CA area (zip code 95340), serving grades K-12 across the Merced City Elementary and Merced Union High districts, which together serve a community with high economic need.

Among elementary schools, Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary and Allan Peterson Elementary stand out for their stronger academic performance in English and math, respectively, often exceeding district averages. Luther Burbank Elementary leads in science. In contrast, John Muir Elementary faces significant challenges with the highest chronic absenteeism and lowest ranking among elementary schools. A notable performance gap exists between the two middle schools: Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle performs much higher than Herbert Hoover Middle in English proficiency, despite similar per-student spending.

The high schools, including alternative programs, show very high chronic absenteeism and mixed outcomes. Yosemite High (Continuation) has extreme rates of absenteeism and dropout. Smaller high schools like Sequoia High and Independence High (Alternative) have high per-student spending but serve specialized populations. Overall, while some schools demonstrate strong results, the area's schools grapple with challenges in attendance, especially at the high school level, and varying academic performance.