Is Merwin Elementary a good school?

Merwin Elementary ranks 2300 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Merwin Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 445 students attended Merwin Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Merwin Elementary?

Students at Merwin Elementary are 90% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 2% African American, 2% White.

What schools do graduates of Merwin Elementary attend?

Students who attend Merwin Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Las Palmas Middle High : Northview High

Merwin Elementary

Summary:

Merwin Elementary is a public elementary school in Covina, California, serving 410 students in grades K-5 as part of the Covina-Valley Unified School District. The school has consistently performed better than the state average in English Language Arts and Mathematics assessments, with particularly strong performance among Hispanic and low-income students. However, Merwin faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates and relatively lower performance for special education and disabled students.

Merwin Elementary's student performance is a key strength, with proficiency rates in ELA ranging from 42.03% to 53.62% across grade levels, compared to the state averages of 42.8% to 47.37%. In Mathematics, Merwin's proficiency rates range from 33.33% to 49.3%, also outpacing the state averages of 35.02% to 45.64%. The school's performance in Science assessments is also above the district and state averages. Merwin's Hispanic and low-income students perform exceptionally well, ranking in the top 25% of California elementary schools in these subgroups for the past three years.

While Merwin Elementary is a relatively strong-performing school within its district, it faces some challenges. The school has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 5.3% in 2017-2018 to 23.7% in 2021-2022, which is higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, Merwin's performance for special education and disabled students is relatively lower, ranking in the bottom half of California elementary schools in these subgroups. Compared to nearby schools, Manzanita Elementary consistently outperforms Merwin, while Grovecenter Elementary performs similarly.

Detail:

Public K-5

16125 Cypress St.
Covina, CA 91722-2236

(626) 472-7660

District: Covina-Valley Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
2300^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,464

Students who attend Merwin Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Las Palmas Middle
High:	Northview High

Student/teacher ratio: 23.4

Number of students: 445

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

90.3%

Asian:

5.4%

African American:

1.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 84.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Merwin Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Merwin Elementary ranks better than 60.8% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 6^th among 9 ranked elementary schools in the Covina-Valley Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 54.68. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (90.3%), Asian (5.4%), African American (1.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 84.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Covina-Valley Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Merwin Elementary is 23.4, which is the 4^th best among 9 elementary schools in the Covina-Valley Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Merwin Elementary employs 19 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Merwin Elementary is $7,464. 7 elementary schools in the Covina-Valley Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Merwin Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Merwin Elementary 2300^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Merwin Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Covina-Valley Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Covina-Valley Unified 590^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Merwin Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Merwin Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	45.31	2392^nd	4809	50.3%
2005	40.85	2669^th	4822	44.6%
2006	30.41	3279^th	4818	31.9%
2007	29.14	3638^th	5113	28.8%
2008	34.10	3327^th	5113	34.9%
2009	39.26	3088^th	5193	40.5%
2010	25.06	4219^th	5314	20.6%
2011	39.24	3308^th	5377	38.5%
2012	44.31	2984^th	5390	44.6%
2013	58.67	2194^th	5530	60.3%
2015	46.95	2627^th	5611	53.2%
2016	42.10	2950^th	5614	47.5%
2017	48.49	2633^rd	5692	53.7%
2018	52.84	2391^st	5662	57.8%
2019	69.57	1619^th	5789	72.0%
2022	47.24	2685^th	5883	54.4%
2023	59.82	2062^nd	5874	64.9%
2024	54.68	2300^th	5862	60.8%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Merwin Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	35.28	1418^th	2420	41.4%
2024	34.93	1561^st	2634	40.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Merwin Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	63.36	1552^nd	5084	69.5%
2019	80.37	696^th	5173	86.5%
2022	59.10	1731^st	5264	67.1%
2023	72.89	1073^rd	5374	80.0%
2024	70.30	1254^th	5511	77.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Merwin Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	51.74	2395^th	5413	55.8%
2019	65.60	1715^th	5492	68.8%
2022	54.07	2207^th	5635	60.8%
2023	61.96	1856^th	5617	67.0%
2024	54.66	2180^th	5605	61.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Merwin Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	32.91	1310^th	2128	38.4%
2019	45.74	1111^th	2585	57.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Merwin Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	52.12	2330^th	5431	57.1%
2019	70.09	1514^th	5510	72.5%
2022	41.24	2935^th	5663	48.2%
2023	55.98	2136^th	5650	62.2%
2024	53.17	2299^th	5636	59.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Merwin Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	65.23	1374^th	4830	71.6%
2019	83.76	561^st	4963	88.7%
2022	60.18	1634^th	5084	67.9%
2023	74.77	970^th	5098	81.0%
2024	68.74	1239^th	5102	75.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Merwin Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	166	15	24	215	0	n/a	n/a	0	420
1989	156	8	19	212	0	n/a	n/a	0	395
1990	150	11	20	220	0	n/a	n/a	0	401
1991	164	17	14	262	0	n/a	n/a	0	457
1992	155	27	16	286	0	n/a	n/a	0	484
1993	136	15	20	282	1	n/a	n/a	0	454
1994	115	21	21	312	1	n/a	n/a	0	470
1995	94	27	21	363	2	n/a	n/a	0	507
1996	94	27	21	363	2	n/a	n/a	0	507
1997	96	26	19	429	4	n/a	n/a	0	574
1998	84	25	18	367	8	n/a	n/a	0	502
1999	57	16	16	374	5	n/a	n/a	0	468
2000	58	22	17	403	6	n/a	n/a	0	506
2001	50	25	13	427	5	n/a	n/a	0	520
2002	33	18	9	373	0	n/a	n/a	34	467
2003	33	18	9	373	0	n/a	n/a	34	467
2004	35	14	13	409	0	n/a	n/a	3	474
2005	32	14	15	394	0	n/a	n/a	5	460
2006	27	15	14	376	1	n/a	n/a	4	437
2007	25	14	16	340	0	n/a	n/a	4	399
2008	26	13	22	373	1	n/a	n/a	0	435
2009	27	9	17	368	1	1	9	0	432
2010	28	12	11	382	3	2	5	0	443
2011	33	13	17	429	1	1	4	0	498
2012	23	11	11	390	0	1	3	0	439
2013	19	7	12	371	0	1	3	0	413
2014	21	8	11	389	0	2	0	0	431
2015	18	6	13	377	0	2	1	0	417
2016	16	8	10	356	0	1	0	0	391
2017	18	8	13	341	0	1	9	0	390
2018	22	8	21	484	1	0	0	0	536
2019	19	3	23	435	1	1	0	0	482
2020	16	2	19	399	2	1	2	0	441
2021	12	4	20	370	2	1	2	0	411
2022	12	3	17	347	2	0	1	0	382
2023	9	4	23	370	2	0	2	0	410
2024	7	8	24	402	0	0	4	0	445

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Merwin Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	420	15.0	28.0	n/a
1989	395	15.0	26.3	n/a
1990	401	16.0	25.0	n/a
1991	457	18.4	24.8	n/a
1992	484	18.7	25.8	52.5
1993	454	19.6	23.2	57.9
1994	470	20.0	23.5	53.6
1995	507	19.0	26.7	60
1996	507	19.0	26.7	60
1997	574	24.0	23.9	62.7
1998	502	27.0	18.6	62.2
1999	468	25.0	18.7	69.2
2000	506	23.0	22.0	64.2
2001	520	24.5	21.2	63.1
2002	467	26.0	18.0	76.4
2003	467	26.0	18.0	76.4
2004	474	25.0	19.0	78.6
2005	460	24.0	19.2	70.1
2006	437	20.0	21.9	73
2007	399	18.5	21.6	75.7
2008	435	24.6	17.7	72.4
2009	432	21.9	16.0	67.4
2010	443	24.0	18.4	79.5
2011	498	n/a	n/a	74.5
2012	439	21.4	20.5	n/a
2013	413	18.4	22.4	80.9
2014	431	18.0	23.9	86.3
2015	417	18.0	23.1	82
2016	391	18.0	21.7	81.1
2017	390	18.0	21.6	76.7
2018	536	21.5	24.9	79.3
2019	482	20.5	23.5	81.1
2020	441	n/a	n/a	82.1
2021	411	18.5	22.2	78.8
2022	382	17.0	22.4	83.5
2023	410	18.0	22.7	78.3
2024	445	19.0	23.4	84.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Merwin Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	420	15.0	28.0	n/a
1989	395	15.0	26.3	n/a
1990	401	16.0	25.0	n/a
1991	457	18.4	24.8	n/a
1992	484	18.7	25.8	52.5
1993	454	19.6	23.2	57.9
1994	470	20.0	23.5	53.6
1995	507	19.0	26.7	60
1996	507	19.0	26.7	60
1997	574	24.0	23.9	62.7
1998	502	27.0	18.6	62.2
1999	468	25.0	18.7	69.2
2000	506	23.0	22.0	64.2
2001	520	24.5	21.2	63.1
2002	467	26.0	18.0	76.4
2003	467	26.0	18.0	76.4
2004	474	25.0	19.0	78.6
2005	460	24.0	19.2	70.1
2006	437	20.0	21.9	73
2007	399	18.5	21.6	75.7
2008	435	24.6	17.7	72.4
2009	432	21.9	16.0	67.4
2010	443	24.0	18.4	79.5
2011	498	n/a	n/a	74.5
2012	439	21.4	20.5	n/a
2013	413	18.4	22.4	80.9
2014	431	18.0	23.9	86.3
2015	417	18.0	23.1	82
2016	391	18.0	21.7	81.1
2017	390	18.0	21.6	76.7
2018	536	21.5	24.9	79.3
2019	482	20.5	23.5	81.1
2020	441	n/a	n/a	82.1
2021	411	18.5	22.2	78.8
2022	382	17.0	22.4	83.5
2023	410	18.0	22.7	78.3
2024	445	19.0	23.4	84.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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