Is Margaret Sheehy Elementary a good school?

Margaret Sheehy Elementary ranks in the bottom 7.6% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Margaret Sheehy Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 533 students attended Margaret Sheehy Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Margaret Sheehy Elementary?

Students at Margaret Sheehy Elementary are 83% Hispanic, 5% White, 4% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 3% African American.

What schools do graduates of Margaret Sheehy Elementary attend?

Students who attend Margaret Sheehy Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Tenaya Middle High : El Capitan High

Margaret Sheehy Elementary

Summary:

Margaret Sheehy Elementary is a public elementary school in Merced, California, serving 533 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Merced City Elementary District, which is ranked 1195 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Margaret Sheehy Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of California elementary schools, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics significantly lower than the district and state averages. For example, in 2023-2024, only 17.28% of Margaret Sheehy students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 33.33% for the district and 47.04% for California. The school has also experienced a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, from 13.3% in 2018-2019 to 34.4% in 2022-2023, much higher than the district and state. Additionally, the school serves a predominantly low-income student population, with 85.66% to 95.31% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

When compared to nearby schools within the Merced City Elementary District, Margaret Sheehy Elementary is underperforming academically. For instance, Luther Burbank Elementary, located just 2.58 miles away, consistently outperforms Margaret Sheehy in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency. Other nearby schools, such as Ada Givens Elementary, John Muir Elementary, and Leontine Gracey Elementary, also demonstrate higher academic achievement compared to Margaret Sheehy. The data suggests that the school could benefit from targeted interventions and support to address the academic and attendance challenges faced by its students.

Detail:

Public K-6

1240 West Sixth St.
Merced, CA 95340-6516

(209) 385-6676

District: Merced City Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
5416^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,521

Students who attend Margaret Sheehy Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Tenaya Middle
High:	El Capitan High

Student/teacher ratio: 24.1

Number of students: 533

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

83.1%

White:

5.4%

Two or more races:

4.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 95.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Margaret Sheehy Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Margaret Sheehy Elementary ranks worse than 92.4% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 12^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 13.69. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a high 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 (83.1%), White (5.4%), two or more races (4.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 95.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Margaret Sheehy Elementary is 24.1, which is the 5^th best among 13 elementary schools in the Merced City Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Margaret Sheehy Elementary employs 22.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Margaret Sheehy Elementary is $7,521. 8 elementary schools in the Merced City Elementary School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Margaret Sheehy Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Margaret Sheehy Elementary 5416^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Margaret Sheehy Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic 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 Margaret Sheehy Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Margaret Sheehy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	34.95	2941^st	4809	38.8%
2005	35.96	2952^nd	4822	38.8%
2006	37.40	2864^th	4818	40.6%
2007	30.75	3517^th	5113	31.2%
2008	34.30	3312^th	5113	35.2%
2009	35.46	3332^nd	5193	35.8%
2010	40.39	3151^st	5314	40.7%
2011	24.94	4340^th	5377	19.3%
2012	24.70	4331^st	5390	19.6%
2013	30.18	4027^th	5530	27.2%
2015	24.40	4184^th	5611	25.4%
2016	23.61	4292^nd	5614	23.5%
2017	15.45	5077^th	5692	10.8%
2018	18.07	4841^st	5662	14.5%
2019	13.85	5323^rd	5789	8.0%
2022	21.65	4680^th	5883	20.4%
2023	16.47	5197^th	5874	11.5%
2024	13.69	5416^th	5862	7.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Margaret Sheehy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.64	2744^th	3246	15.5%
2019	24.26	2918^th	3275	10.9%
2022	43.24	1592^nd	3311	51.9%
2023	43.90	1563^rd	3250	51.9%
2024	33.25	2314^th	3160	26.8%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Margaret Sheehy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	17.92	2273^rd	2420	6.1%
2024	27.79	1953^rd	2634	25.9%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Margaret Sheehy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	22.02	4333^rd	5084	14.8%
2019	15.90	4785^th	5173	7.5%
2022	25.46	4214^th	5264	19.9%
2023	21.72	4568^th	5374	15.0%
2024	18.49	4905^th	5511	11.0%

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

Rank History for Female students at Margaret Sheehy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	17.20	4765^th	5413	12.0%
2019	13.60	5115^th	5492	6.9%
2022	23.87	4331^st	5635	23.1%
2023	17.12	4957^th	5617	11.8%
2024	15.45	5082^nd	5605	9.3%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Margaret Sheehy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	18.53	2141^st	2227	3.9%

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

Rank History for Male students at Margaret Sheehy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	20.15	4564^th	5431	16.0%
2019	16.61	4925^th	5510	10.6%
2022	21.00	4621^st	5663	18.4%
2023	16.86	5007^th	5650	11.4%
2024	13.41	5286^th	5636	6.2%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Margaret Sheehy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	23.47	4014^th	4830	16.9%
2019	19.87	4382^nd	4963	11.7%
2022	30.33	3675^th	5084	27.7%
2023	22.77	4289^th	5098	15.9%
2024	19.67	4473^rd	5102	12.3%

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 Margaret Sheehy Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	186	65	243	251	0	n/a	n/a	0	745
1989	189	73	300	251	2	n/a	n/a	0	815
1990	167	70	238	227	3	n/a	n/a	0	705
1991	161	69	250	234	4	n/a	n/a	0	718
1992	153	75	227	199	2	n/a	n/a	0	656
1993	158	62	178	201	1	n/a	n/a	0	600
1994	153	66	167	216	1	n/a	n/a	0	603
1995	149	45	171	214	2	n/a	n/a	0	581
1996	149	45	171	214	2	n/a	n/a	0	581
1997	149	56	225	229	2	n/a	n/a	0	661
1998	148	64	211	236	2	n/a	n/a	0	661
1999	161	71	178	230	1	n/a	n/a	0	641
2000	166	85	179	267	0	n/a	n/a	0	697
2001	151	72	163	259	0	n/a	n/a	0	645
2002	173	76	125	258	2	n/a	n/a	0	634
2003	173	76	125	258	2	n/a	n/a	0	634
2004	98	58	180	321	1	n/a	n/a	0	658
2005	79	52	128	369	0	n/a	n/a	2	630
2006	66	42	104	394	1	n/a	n/a	3	610
2007	82	28	111	369	1	n/a	n/a	3	594
2008	65	15	111	310	2	n/a	n/a	0	503
2009	65	24	94	332	2	3	15	0	535
2010	57	31	88	328	3	0	1	0	508
2011	32	11	74	292	2	0	58	0	469
2012	36	18	63	369	1	0	14	0	501
2013	29	13	50	380	1	2	9	0	484
2014	28	18	41	365	0	3	6	0	461
2015	20	7	42	410	0	2	3	0	484
2016	24	13	51	506	1	2	5	0	602
2017	28	17	53	478	1	2	2	0	581
2018	26	20	61	471	2	2	6	0	588
2019	21	21	58	467	1	2	6	0	576
2020	25	23	37	472	1	0	6	0	564
2021	22	17	32	462	0	0	11	0	544
2022	22	18	28	474	0	0	23	0	565
2023	29	18	21	443	0	0	22	0	533

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 Margaret Sheehy Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	745	30.7	24.2	n/a
1989	815	31.1	26.2	n/a
1990	705	27.1	26.0	n/a
1991	718	28.9	24.8	n/a
1992	656	29.4	22.3	83.8
1993	600	25.9	23.2	72.3
1994	603	23.0	26.2	75.1
1995	581	20.0	29.1	73.7
1996	581	20.0	29.1	73.7
1997	661	26.0	25.4	80.6
1998	661	29.0	22.8	79.4
1999	641	30.0	21.4	73.9
2000	697	31.0	22.5	71.3
2001	645	30.0	21.5	72.7
2002	634	30.5	20.8	72.1
2003	634	30.5	20.8	72.1
2004	658	30.5	21.6	81.2
2005	630	30.5	20.7	86.5
2006	610	30.0	20.3	82.5
2007	594	31.0	19.2	87
2008	503	29.0	17.3	90.9
2009	535	27.0	17.3	84.5
2010	508	23.0	22.0	86.4
2011	469	n/a	n/a	88.1
2012	501	21.0	23.8	99.4
2013	484	20.0	24.2	88
2014	461	21.2	21.7	85.9
2015	484	21.0	23.0	93.4
2016	602	27.0	22.2	92.4
2017	581	24.0	24.2	92.4
2018	588	24.0	24.5	93
2019	576	24.0	24.0	89.9
2020	564	n/a	n/a	94
2021	544	23.3	23.3	88.8
2022	565	24.4	23.1	85.7
2023	533	22.1	24.1	95.3

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 Margaret Sheehy Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	745	30.7	24.2	n/a
1989	815	31.1	26.2	n/a
1990	705	27.1	26.0	n/a
1991	718	28.9	24.8	n/a
1992	656	29.4	22.3	83.8
1993	600	25.9	23.2	72.3
1994	603	23.0	26.2	75.1
1995	581	20.0	29.1	73.7
1996	581	20.0	29.1	73.7
1997	661	26.0	25.4	80.6
1998	661	29.0	22.8	79.4
1999	641	30.0	21.4	73.9
2000	697	31.0	22.5	71.3
2001	645	30.0	21.5	72.7
2002	634	30.5	20.8	72.1
2003	634	30.5	20.8	72.1
2004	658	30.5	21.6	81.2
2005	630	30.5	20.7	86.5
2006	610	30.0	20.3	82.5
2007	594	31.0	19.2	87
2008	503	29.0	17.3	90.9
2009	535	27.0	17.3	84.5
2010	508	23.0	22.0	86.4
2011	469	n/a	n/a	88.1
2012	501	21.0	23.8	99.4
2013	484	20.0	24.2	88
2014	461	21.2	21.7	85.9
2015	484	21.0	23.0	93.4
2016	602	27.0	22.2	92.4
2017	581	24.0	24.2	92.4
2018	588	24.0	24.5	93
2019	576	24.0	24.0	89.9
2020	564	n/a	n/a	94
2021	544	23.3	23.3	88.8
2022	565	24.4	23.1	85.7
2023	533	22.1	24.1	95.3

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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