Golden Valley High

Summary:

Golden Valley High is a public high school located in Merced, California, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,956 students. The school is part of the Merced Union High School District, which is ranked 1079 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Golden Valley High has consistently maintained high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 94.2% to 98.1% over the past five years, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages. However, the school has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, from 11.9% in 2018-2019 to 75.9% in 2020-2021. In terms of academic performance, Golden Valley High's test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are generally below the district and state averages, with notable variations in performance across different student subgroups. When compared to other high schools in the Merced Union High School District, such as Atwater High, Buhach Colony High, and Merced High, Golden Valley High generally performs on par or slightly below its peers.

Over the past decade, Golden Valley High's statewide ranking has dropped from 426 out of 2,426 California high schools in 2012-2013 to 1,267 out of 2,323 in 2023-2024, with a consistent 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. This decline in performance may be attributed to a combination of academic and socioeconomic challenges, as 80.67% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023. Addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism, improving test scores, and supporting underperforming student subgroups should be key priorities for the school and district to improve student outcomes.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 2121 East Childs Ave.
       Merced, CA  95344-0188


(209) 325-1800

District: Merced Union High

SchoolDigger Rank:
1267th of 2,323 California High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $8,532 Help


Feeder schools for Golden Valley High:

Elementary:    Ada Givens Elementary
    Charles Wright Elementary
    El Nido Elementary
    Farmdale Elementary
    More...
Middle:    Herbert Hoover Middle
    Weaver Middle

Student/teacher ratio:  21.9 Help
Number of students:  1,956

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
70.8%
White:
10.8%
Asian:
9.6%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  80.7% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Golden Valley High ranks worse than 54.5% of high schools in California. It also ranks 2nd among 8 ranked high schools in the Merced Union High School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 35.32. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Golden Valley High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Help
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
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (70.8%), White (10.8%), Asian (9.6%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 80.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Golden Valley High is 21.9. 7 high schools in the Merced Union High School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Golden Valley High employs 89.1 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Golden Valley High is $8,532. 7 high schools in the Merced Union High School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Golden Valley High:

SchoolDigger ranks Golden Valley High 1267th of 2323 California public high schools. (See Golden Valley High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Homeless students:
Female students:
Male students:
Asian students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Merced Union High:

SchoolDigger ranks Merced Union High 1079th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Golden Valley High

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Rank History for all students at Golden Valley High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 46.70 560th 1653 66.1%
2005 41.32 771st 1901 59.4%
2006 40.76 819th 1968 58.4%
2007 38.62 910th 2063 55.9%
2008 40.12 910th 2117 57.0%
2009 50.48 733rd 2238 67.2%
2010 52.69 685th 2281 70.0%
2011 64.58 408th 2367 82.8%
2012 67.13 363rd 2354 84.6%
2013 64.96 426th 2426 82.4%
2015 51.99 939th 1994 52.9%
2016 58.40 820th 2039 59.8%
2017 50.41 1017th 2021 49.7%
2018 47.26 1061st 2017 47.4%
2019 35.29 1334th 2133 37.5%
2021 37.67 798th 1290 38.1%
2022 35.69 1289th 2123 39.3%
2023 32.28 1351st 2348 42.5%
2024 35.32 1267th 2323 45.5%
See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Golden Valley High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 30.59 267th 366 27.0%
2019 7.23 397th 422 5.9%
2023 7.86 713th 786 9.3%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Golden Valley High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 25.40 739th 938 21.2%
2019 30.44 752nd 941 20.1%
2021 38.59 265th 467 43.3%
2022 29.86 825th 1044 21.0%
2023 26.01 990th 1323 25.2%
2024 35.20 619th 1350 54.1%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Golden Valley High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 38.55 733rd 1547 52.6%
2024 17.01 1436th 1534 6.4%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Golden Valley High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 43.55 1112th 1862 40.3%
2019 37.49 1221st 1937 37.0%
2021 40.23 703rd 1126 37.6%
2022 35.25 1243rd 1943 36.0%
2023 34.92 1279th 2247 43.1%
2024 34.95 1292nd 2235 42.2%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Golden Valley High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 41.40 161st 290 44.5%
2023 33.35 271st 417 35.0%
2024 33.70 309th 451 31.5%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Golden Valley High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 39.28 1127th 1760 36.0%
2019 32.95 1217th 1833 33.6%
2021 35.46 698th 1054 33.8%
2022 32.59 1212th 1858 34.8%
2023 31.48 1305th 2118 38.4%
2024 33.37 1264th 2098 39.8%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Golden Valley High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 20.99 928th 1052 11.8%
2019 21.31 998th 1117 10.7%
2021 35.73 329th 555 40.7%
2022 22.69 1033rd 1161 11.0%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Golden Valley High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 49.37 932nd 1834 49.2%
2019 33.06 1222nd 1880 35.0%
2021 33.06 754th 1122 32.8%
2022 34.22 1190th 1916 37.9%
2023 31.17 1299th 2207 41.1%
2024 34.49 1207th 2172 44.4%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Golden Valley High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 12.19 519th 581 10.7%
2019 12.98 513th 582 11.9%
2022 14.19 507th 581 12.7%
2023 10.95 662nd 731 9.4%
2024 6.54 671st 712 5.8%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Golden Valley High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 33.36 381st 582 34.5%
2019 36.85 352nd 592 40.5%
2022 30.94 352nd 522 32.6%
2023 45.59 342nd 720 52.5%
2024 23.28 581st 721 19.4%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Golden Valley High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 46.45 984th 1742 43.5%
2019 37.39 1144th 1814 36.9%
2022 33.34 1236th 1861 33.6%
2023 36.61 1204th 2142 43.8%
2024 40.33 1107th 2125 47.9%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Golden Valley High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 35.27 806th 1173 31.3%
2019 19.29 1012th 1222 17.2%
2022 40.47 712th 1204 40.9%
2023 17.69 1129th 1434 21.3%
2024 30.51 897th 1406 36.2%
See the entire list of Best California High 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.

Golden Valley High Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Golden Valley High

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1995 774 138 461 688 10 n/a n/a 0 2071
1996 774 138 461 688 10 n/a n/a 0 2071
1997 809 133 477 684 8 n/a n/a 0 2111
1998 790 137 483 715 8 n/a n/a 0 2133
1999 747 140 500 737 10 n/a n/a 1 2135
2000 753 132 516 791 8 n/a n/a 0 2200
2001 755 120 519 800 12 n/a n/a 0 2206
2002 716 130 521 893 3 n/a n/a 4 2267
2003 716 130 521 893 3 n/a n/a 4 2267
2004 703 139 521 961 4 n/a n/a 3 2331
2005 760 147 486 1011 6 n/a n/a 7 2417
2006 707 142 483 1098 10 n/a n/a 22 2462
2007 709 146 534 1139 15 n/a n/a 22 2565
2008 624 162 528 1166 16 n/a n/a 0 2496
2009 564 139 477 1162 11 5 25 0 2383
2010 546 142 443 1152 15 1 17 0 2316
2011 455 139 396 1152 17 1 44 0 2204
2012 406 113 363 1176 10 1 77 0 2146
2013 396 97 342 1234 4 0 78 0 2151
2014 350 88 291 1129 6 1 56 0 1921
2015 296 63 264 1084 5 0 73 0 1785
2016 248 63 226 1104 5 1 69 0 1716
2017 225 74 213 1133 2 2 80 0 1729
2018 230 78 211 1184 2 4 83 0 1792
2019 229 84 203 1173 3 4 56 0 1752
2020 251 90 193 1257 4 6 42 0 1843
2021 249 93 189 1298 7 7 59 0 1902
2022 223 105 180 1312 11 8 32 1 1872
2023 211 100 188 1384 14 3 54 2 1956

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 Golden Valley High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1995 2071 86.4 24.0 44.6
1996 2071 86.4 24.0 44.6
1997 2111 88.4 23.9 43.4
1998 2133 90.6 23.5 78
1999 2135 93.8 22.8 77.4
2000 2200 99.0 22.2 79.1
2001 2206 100.4 22.0 76.4
2002 2267 100.8 22.5 77.1
2003 2267 100.8 22.5 77.1
2004 2331 96.1 24.3 57.5
2005 2417 104.6 23.1 56.7
2006 2462 110.9 22.2 73.5
2007 2565 108.8 23.6 79.7
2008 2496 134.2 18.6 77.8
2009 2383 108.4 18.7 83
2010 2316 103.4 22.4 84.8
2011 2204 n/a n/a 89.6
2012 2146 89.7 23.9 n/a
2013 2151 87.0 24.7 76.3
2014 1921 80.8 23.7 79.3
2015 1785 83.0 21.5 78.8
2016 1716 75.0 22.8 82.7
2017 1729 72.4 23.8 79.8
2018 1792 74.6 24.0 82.2
2019 1752 79.1 22.1 81.2
2020 1843 n/a n/a 79.5
2021 1902 83.6 22.7 80.2
2022 1872 89.6 20.8 81.8
2023 1956 89.1 21.9 80.7

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 Golden Valley High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1995 2071 86.4 24.0 44.6
1996 2071 86.4 24.0 44.6
1997 2111 88.4 23.9 43.4
1998 2133 90.6 23.5 78
1999 2135 93.8 22.8 77.4
2000 2200 99.0 22.2 79.1
2001 2206 100.4 22.0 76.4
2002 2267 100.8 22.5 77.1
2003 2267 100.8 22.5 77.1
2004 2331 96.1 24.3 57.5
2005 2417 104.6 23.1 56.7
2006 2462 110.9 22.2 73.5
2007 2565 108.8 23.6 79.7
2008 2496 134.2 18.6 77.8
2009 2383 108.4 18.7 83
2010 2316 103.4 22.4 84.8
2011 2204 n/a n/a 89.6
2012 2146 89.7 23.9 n/a
2013 2151 87.0 24.7 76.3
2014 1921 80.8 23.7 79.3
2015 1785 83.0 21.5 78.8
2016 1716 75.0 22.8 82.7
2017 1729 72.4 23.8 79.8
2018 1792 74.6 24.0 82.2
2019 1752 79.1 22.1 81.2
2020 1843 n/a n/a 79.5
2021 1902 83.6 22.7 80.2
2022 1872 89.6 20.8 81.8
2023 1956 89.1 21.9 80.7

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.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Golden Valley High

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2018 $8,532

Data source: California Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Golden Valley High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 1334th of 2133 High schoolsRanks 1351st of 2348 High schools
 5%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Golden Valley High)4841.5
 6.5%
   11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Merced Union High)47.239.9
 7.3%
   11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)57.355.4
 1.9%
11th Grade Mathematics (Golden Valley High)14.510.7
 3.7%
   11th Grade Mathematics (Merced Union High)17.310.8
 6.5%
   11th Grade Mathematics (California)32.227.4
 4.9%
11th Grade Science (Golden Valley High)17.517.4
 0.2%
   11th Grade Science (Merced Union High)20.918.8
 2%
   11th Grade Science (California)30.431.7
 1.3%
12th Grade Science (Golden Valley High)9.30
 9.3%
   12th Grade Science (Merced Union High)16.317.4
 1.1%
   12th Grade Science (California)25.626.9
 1.3%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students17521956
 11.6%
African American84100
 19%
American Indian314
 366.7%
Asian203188
 7.4%
Hispanic11731384
 18%
Pacific Islander43
 25%
White229211
 7.9%
Two or More Races5654
 3.6%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients81.2%80.7%
 0.5%


Schools Near Golden Valley High









Frequently Asked Questions about Golden Valley High

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,956 students attended Golden Valley High.

Golden Valley High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Ada Givens Elementary
Elementary : Charles Wright Elementary
Elementary : El Nido Elementary
Elementary : Farmdale Elementary
Elementary : Pioneer Elementary
Middle : Herbert Hoover Middle
Middle : Weaver Middle

Golden Valley High ranks 1267th of 2323 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students at Golden Valley High are 71% Hispanic, 11% White, 10% Asian, 5% African American, 3% Two or more races.


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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.





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