Is John Muir Elementary a good school?

John Muir Elementary ranks 4350 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend John Muir Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 581 students attended John Muir Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of John Muir Elementary?

Students at John Muir Elementary are 72% Hispanic, 9% White, 7% Asian, 7% African American, 5% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of John Muir Elementary attend?

Students who attend John Muir Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Herbert Hoover Middle High : Merced High

John Muir Elementary

Summary:

John Muir Elementary is a public elementary school in Merced, California, serving 605 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Merced City Elementary District, which has a 1-star rating out of 5 from SchoolDigger.

John Muir Elementary faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, low academic performance, and struggles to support its diverse student population, particularly those from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The school has seen a sharp increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 16.6% in 2018-2019 to 42.6% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the district and state averages. Academically, John Muir consistently underperforms the Merced City Elementary district and the state of California in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grade levels. For example, in 2023-2024, only 26.09% of John Muir students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 33.33% for the district and 47.04% for the state.

Comparing John Muir Elementary to nearby schools in the Merced City Elementary District, such as Allan Peterson Elementary, Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary, and Luther Burbank Elementary, highlights the need for targeted interventions and additional resources to address the unique challenges faced by John Muir. These nearby schools generally outperform John Muir in test scores, chronic absenteeism rates, and overall school rankings, suggesting that John Muir's high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds may be a significant contributing factor to its struggles.

Detail:

Public K-6

300 West 26th St.
Merced, CA 95340-2912

(209) 385-6667

District: Merced City Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
4350^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,575

Students who attend John Muir Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Herbert Hoover Middle
High:	Merced High

Student/teacher ratio: 24.2

Number of students: 581

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

71.8%

White:

8.6%

Asian:

7.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 92.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare John Muir Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details John Muir Elementary ranks worse than 74.2% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 8^th among 13 ranked elementary schools in the Merced City Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 25.11. (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 (71.8%), White (8.6%), Asian (7.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 92.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at John Muir Elementary is 24.2, which is the 7^th best among 13 elementary schools in the Merced City Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare John Muir Elementary employs 23.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at John Muir Elementary is $7,575. 7 elementary schools in the Merced City Elementary School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

John Muir Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks John Muir Elementary 4350^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See John Muir Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Merced City Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Merced City Elementary 1195^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for John Muir Elementary

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Rank History for all students at John Muir Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	18.94	4023^rd	4809	16.3%
2005	17.06	4169^th	4822	13.5%
2006	19.41	4043^rd	4818	16.1%
2007	24.90	3940^th	5113	22.9%
2008	24.27	4030^th	5113	21.2%
2009	25.48	4024^th	5193	22.5%
2010	45.15	2836^th	5314	46.6%
2011	37.21	3449^th	5377	35.9%
2012	33.48	3700^th	5390	31.4%
2013	36.95	3532^nd	5530	36.1%
2015	39.80	3020^th	5611	46.2%
2016	31.84	3621^st	5614	35.5%
2017	30.22	3810^th	5692	33.1%
2018	27.08	4072^nd	5662	28.1%
2019	28.74	4034^th	5789	30.3%
2022	19.93	4869^th	5883	17.2%
2023	21.41	4717^th	5874	19.7%
2024	25.11	4350^th	5862	25.8%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at John Muir Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	28.34	2731^st	3311	17.5%
2023	30.23	2519^th	3250	22.5%
2024	53.80	985^th	3160	68.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at John Muir Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	24.45	1931^st	2420	20.2%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at John Muir Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	34.94	3403^rd	5084	33.1%
2019	39.81	3143^rd	5173	39.2%
2022	28.65	3949^th	5264	25.0%
2023	29.09	3968^th	5374	26.2%
2024	30.79	3871^st	5511	29.8%

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

Rank History for Female students at John Muir Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	28.71	3858^th	5413	28.7%
2019	30.89	3764^th	5492	31.5%
2022	19.34	4776^th	5635	15.2%
2023	18.54	4838^th	5617	13.9%
2024	21.07	4596^th	5605	18.0%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at John Muir Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	48.12	822^nd	2128	61.4%
2019	27.54	1924^th	2585	25.6%
2022	24.82	1742^nd	2227	21.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at John Muir Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	26.61	3972^nd	5431	26.9%
2019	26.42	4071^st	5510	26.1%
2022	22.18	4495^th	5663	20.6%
2023	24.88	4272^nd	5650	24.4%
2024	30.30	3796^th	5636	32.6%

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

Rank History for African American students at John Muir Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	52.47	274^th	700	60.9%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at John Muir Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	35.61	3172^nd	4830	34.3%
2019	41.04	2890^th	4963	41.8%
2022	29.56	3743^rd	5084	26.4%
2023	28.08	3868^th	5098	24.1%
2024	35.66	3299^th	5102	35.3%

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

Rank History for White students at John Muir Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	16.54	2288^th	2647	13.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White 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 John Muir Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	228	26	236	169	0	n/a	n/a	0	659
1989	242	27	214	153	0	n/a	n/a	0	636
1990	268	26	237	153	1	n/a	n/a	0	685
1991	276	32	201	135	0	n/a	n/a	0	644
1992	194	43	245	158	1	n/a	n/a	0	641
1993	184	43	279	193	0	n/a	n/a	0	699
1994	195	52	261	202	1	n/a	n/a	0	711
1995	166	61	272	213	0	n/a	n/a	0	712
1996	166	61	272	213	0	n/a	n/a	0	712
1997	166	69	227	229	1	n/a	n/a	0	692
1998	164	93	202	231	1	n/a	n/a	0	691
1999	150	98	178	250	1	n/a	n/a	0	677
2000	179	71	164	264	1	n/a	n/a	0	679
2001	171	72	140	293	2	n/a	n/a	0	678
2002	143	66	104	313	0	n/a	n/a	0	626
2003	143	66	104	313	0	n/a	n/a	0	626
2004	103	63	90	355	1	n/a	n/a	3	615
2005	99	79	76	346	0	n/a	n/a	2	602
2006	101	64	78	346	0	n/a	n/a	1	590
2007	85	70	54	308	0	n/a	n/a	2	519
2008	111	76	61	320	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	568
2009	107	58	44	277	0	1	13	0	500
2010	97	51	30	304	1	1	7	0	491
2011	98	45	26	298	1	1	10	0	479
2012	99	46	27	299	2	0	12	0	485
2013	99	43	44	302	3	0	12	0	503
2014	97	42	37	323	2	1	14	0	516
2015	86	41	40	336	0	1	12	0	516
2016	88	54	41	387	0	1	16	0	587
2017	87	72	42	401	1	1	17	0	621
2018	67	68	42	428	0	0	17	0	622
2019	72	62	36	422	0	0	19	0	611
2020	57	47	40	419	2	0	24	0	589
2021	45	44	44	412	0	0	29	0	574
2022	49	40	46	424	0	0	27	0	586
2023	52	43	44	442	1	0	23	0	605
2024	50	39	43	417	1	0	31	0	581

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 John Muir Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	659	25.6	25.7	n/a
1989	636	26.6	23.9	n/a
1990	685	25.0	27.4	n/a
1991	644	26.0	24.7	n/a
1992	641	26.4	24.2	72.2
1993	699	29.0	24.1	82.1
1994	711	30.0	23.7	84.1
1995	712	24.0	29.7	87.6
1996	712	24.0	29.7	87.6
1997	692	28.0	24.7	94.2
1998	691	31.0	22.3	90.3
1999	677	33.0	20.5	88.3
2000	679	33.0	20.6	87.3
2001	678	33.6	20.2	88.1
2002	626	34.0	18.4	84.3
2003	626	34.0	18.4	84.3
2004	615	28.0	22.0	87.6
2005	602	30.0	20.1	88
2006	590	30.0	19.7	86.2
2007	519	26.0	20.0	88.4
2008	568	32.4	17.5	92.1
2009	500	26.0	16.9	83.4
2010	491	26.0	18.8	86.4
2011	479	n/a	n/a	86.8
2012	485	24.0	20.2	99.4
2013	503	25.0	20.1	85.9
2014	516	26.8	19.2	87
2015	516	27.0	19.1	91.9
2016	587	26.0	22.5	88.4
2017	621	24.0	25.8	89.5
2018	622	24.0	25.9	93.1
2019	611	24.0	25.4	91
2020	589	n/a	n/a	92.4
2021	574	23.0	24.9	86.9
2022	586	23.4	24.9	94.4
2023	605	23.0	26.2	95.7
2024	581	23.9	24.2	92.8

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 John Muir Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	659	25.6	25.7	n/a
1989	636	26.6	23.9	n/a
1990	685	25.0	27.4	n/a
1991	644	26.0	24.7	n/a
1992	641	26.4	24.2	72.2
1993	699	29.0	24.1	82.1
1994	711	30.0	23.7	84.1
1995	712	24.0	29.7	87.6
1996	712	24.0	29.7	87.6
1997	692	28.0	24.7	94.2
1998	691	31.0	22.3	90.3
1999	677	33.0	20.5	88.3
2000	679	33.0	20.6	87.3
2001	678	33.6	20.2	88.1
2002	626	34.0	18.4	84.3
2003	626	34.0	18.4	84.3
2004	615	28.0	22.0	87.6
2005	602	30.0	20.1	88
2006	590	30.0	19.7	86.2
2007	519	26.0	20.0	88.4
2008	568	32.4	17.5	92.1
2009	500	26.0	16.9	83.4
2010	491	26.0	18.8	86.4
2011	479	n/a	n/a	86.8
2012	485	24.0	20.2	99.4
2013	503	25.0	20.1	85.9
2014	516	26.8	19.2	87
2015	516	27.0	19.1	91.9
2016	587	26.0	22.5	88.4
2017	621	24.0	25.8	89.5
2018	622	24.0	25.9	93.1
2019	611	24.0	25.4	91
2020	589	n/a	n/a	92.4
2021	574	23.0	24.9	86.9
2022	586	23.4	24.9	94.4
2023	605	23.0	26.2	95.7
2024	581	23.9	24.2	92.8

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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