Is La Merced Academy a good school?

La Merced Academy ranks 3747 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend La Merced Academy?

In the 2023-24 school year, 649 students attended La Merced Academy.

What is the racial makeup of La Merced Academy?

Students at La Merced Academy are 95% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of La Merced Academy attend?

Students who attend La Merced Academy usually go on to attend: Middle : La Merced Intermediate High : Montebello High

La Merced Academy

Summary:

La Merced Academy is an elementary school in Montebello, CA, serving 624 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Montebello Unified School District, which is ranked 1105 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. La Merced Academy has consistently ranked in the bottom half of California elementary schools over the past decade, with a current ranking of 3747 out of 5862 schools and a 2-star rating.

La Merced Academy faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism, which has risen from 10% in 2017-2018 to 35.1% in 2021-2022, notably higher than the district and state averages. The school's test scores are generally below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with only 37.37% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and 30.63% in Mathematics, compared to 47.04% and 35.54% statewide, respectively. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 61.7% to 70.12% over the past few years, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

When compared to other nearby schools in the Montebello Unified District, La Merced Academy generally performs worse on test scores and other metrics. For example, Wilcox Elementary and Montebello Gardens Elementary both outperform La Merced Academy on English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency rates. However, the strong performance of Hillcrest Elementary, located in the Garvey Elementary School District, and South Ranchito Dual Language Academy, located in the neighboring El Rancho Unified District, suggests that with the right strategies and resources, significant improvements in student outcomes are possible, even in economically disadvantaged areas.

Detail:

Public K-7

724 North Poplar Ave.
Montebello, CA 90640-2760

(323) 721-5043

District: Montebello Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
3747^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,327

Students who attend La Merced Academy usually attend:

Middle:	La Merced Intermediate
High:	Montebello High

Student/teacher ratio: 18.6

Number of students: 649

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

95.4%

Two or more races:

3.2%

Asian:

0.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 62.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare La Merced Academy to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details La Merced Academy ranks worse than 63.9% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 7^th among 17 ranked elementary schools in the Montebello Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 32.28. (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 (95.4%), two or more races (3.2%), Asian (0.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 62.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at La Merced Academy is 18.6. 12 elementary schools in the Montebello Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare La Merced Academy employs 34.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at La Merced Academy is $7,327, which is the 7^th highest among 17 elementary schools in the Montebello Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

La Merced Academy:

SchoolDigger ranks La Merced Academy 3747^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See La Merced Academy 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:

Montebello Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Montebello Unified 1105^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for La Merced Academy

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Rank History for all students at La Merced Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	17.77	4138^th	4809	14.0%
2005	30.10	3268^th	4822	32.2%
2006	20.55	3961^st	4818	17.8%
2007	26.97	3784^th	5113	26.0%
2008	23.36	4089^th	5113	20.0%
2009	21.50	4322^nd	5193	16.8%
2010	25.47	4190^th	5314	21.2%
2011	17.87	4805^th	5377	10.6%
2012	17.74	4798^th	5390	11.0%
2013	14.60	5073^rd	5530	8.3%
2015	16.44	4946^th	5611	11.9%
2016	15.81	4975^th	5614	11.4%
2017	21.98	4516^th	5692	20.7%
2018	23.80	4343^rd	5662	23.3%
2019	22.56	4581^st	5789	20.9%
2021	24.67	1061^st	1417	25.1%
2022	26.69	4178^th	5883	29.0%
2023	26.99	4176^th	5874	28.9%
2024	32.28	3747^th	5862	36.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at La Merced Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	49.27	1286^th	3246	60.4%
2019	50.57	1220^th	3275	62.7%
2021	43.44	263^rd	602	56.3%
2022	40.60	1762^nd	3311	46.8%
2023	33.38	2284^th	3250	29.7%
2024	66.19	508^th	3160	83.9%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at La Merced Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	23.18	2014^th	2420	16.8%
2024	23.21	2222^nd	2634	15.6%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at La Merced Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	34.71	3424^th	5084	32.7%
2019	28.70	3962^nd	5173	23.4%
2021	36.58	704^th	1110	36.6%
2022	26.86	4090^th	5264	22.3%
2023	25.78	4249^th	5374	20.9%
2024	32.59	3731^st	5511	32.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at La Merced Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	21.09	4444^th	5413	17.9%
2019	23.07	4372^nd	5492	20.4%
2021	24.94	936^th	1267	26.1%
2022	19.97	4715^th	5635	16.3%
2023	25.06	4224^th	5617	24.8%
2024	28.60	3913^th	5605	30.2%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at La Merced Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	44.28	921^st	2128	56.7%
2019	31.85	1691^st	2585	34.6%
2021	24.44	227^th	293	22.5%
2022	33.49	1328^th	2227	40.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at La Merced Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	27.38	3906^th	5431	28.1%
2019	23.20	4367^th	5510	20.7%
2021	25.35	932^nd	1272	26.7%
2022	35.26	3343^rd	5663	41.0%
2023	30.28	3755^th	5650	33.5%
2024	36.60	3305^th	5636	41.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at La Merced Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	33.36	3317^th	4830	31.3%
2019	28.28	3812^th	4963	23.2%
2022	36.35	3190^th	5084	37.3%
2023	34.32	3371^st	5098	33.9%
2024	43.21	2735^th	5102	46.4%

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 La Merced Academy

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	66	5	159	286	0	n/a	n/a	0	516
1989	55	6	140	325	0	n/a	n/a	0	526
1990	69	6	123	313	0	n/a	n/a	0	511
1991	74	8	114	334	0	n/a	n/a	0	530
1992	72	9	98	351	0	n/a	n/a	0	530
1993	76	8	96	352	0	n/a	n/a	0	532
1994	64	5	85	351	0	n/a	n/a	0	505
1995	74	1	66	439	0	n/a	n/a	0	580
1996	74	1	66	439	0	n/a	n/a	0	580
1997	76	4	55	428	0	n/a	n/a	0	563
1998	70	6	55	511	0	n/a	n/a	0	642
1999	73	4	50	603	0	n/a	n/a	0	730
2000	56	4	47	614	0	n/a	n/a	0	721
2001	59	2	43	646	0	n/a	n/a	0	750
2002	60	4	32	685	1	n/a	n/a	0	782
2003	60	4	32	685	1	n/a	n/a	0	782
2004	64	5	30	664	1	n/a	n/a	0	764
2005	71	5	29	642	3	n/a	n/a	0	750
2006	82	3	29	655	3	n/a	n/a	0	772
2007	65	4	15	648	1	n/a	n/a	29	762
2008	66	4	18	655	2	n/a	n/a	0	745
2009	58	1	22	676	1	0	1	0	759
2010	45	1	19	674	2	0	2	0	743
2011	48	2	26	807	3	0	5	0	891
2012	42	3	24	791	3	0	2	0	865
2013	41	4	17	707	2	0	3	0	774
2014	25	1	16	748	2	0	6	0	798
2015	29	2	21	739	3	0	4	0	798
2016	25	2	20	735	1	0	3	0	786
2017	24	4	18	747	2	3	8	0	806
2018	24	3	13	723	2	0	12	0	777
2019	26	0	17	733	1	0	14	0	791
2020	22	0	17	744	1	1	12	0	797
2021	23	0	15	713	1	1	10	0	763
2022	7	0	7	617	0	0	41	0	672
2023	5	0	4	591	0	0	24	0	624
2024	3	0	5	619	1	0	21	0	649

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 La Merced Academy

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	516	21.0	24.5	n/a
1989	526	19.0	27.6	n/a
1990	511	21.0	24.3	n/a
1991	530	21.0	25.2	n/a
1992	530	21.3	24.8	33.2
1993	532	19.0	28.0	40.6
1994	505	18.0	28.1	45.3
1995	580	20.0	29.0	61.9
1996	580	20.0	29.0	61.9
1997	563	23.5	24.0	53.8
1998	642	26.5	24.2	56.5
1999	730	29.5	24.7	61
2000	721	36.0	20.0	60.5
2001	750	38.0	19.7	60
2002	782	38.0	20.6	66.6
2003	782	38.0	20.6	66.6
2004	764	39.0	19.6	65.3
2005	750	38.0	19.7	61.7
2006	772	38.0	20.3	60.8
2007	762	38.0	20.1	65.5
2008	745	38.0	19.6	63
2009	759	36.0	20.0	66.7
2010	743	31.0	23.9	56.9
2011	891	n/a	n/a	66.1
2012	865	27.5	31.4	n/a
2013	774	26.5	29.2	69.9
2014	798	26.1	30.5	79.4
2015	798	29.0	27.5	79.1
2016	786	28.0	28.0	81.2
2017	806	31.0	26.0	74.3
2018	777	32.0	24.2	74.9
2019	791	31.0	25.5	80.4
2020	797	n/a	n/a	78.5
2021	763	32.0	23.8	70.1
2022	672	n/a	n/a	68.2
2023	624	32.6	19.1	61.7
2024	649	34.7	18.6	62.9

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 La Merced Academy

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	516	21.0	24.5	n/a
1989	526	19.0	27.6	n/a
1990	511	21.0	24.3	n/a
1991	530	21.0	25.2	n/a
1992	530	21.3	24.8	33.2
1993	532	19.0	28.0	40.6
1994	505	18.0	28.1	45.3
1995	580	20.0	29.0	61.9
1996	580	20.0	29.0	61.9
1997	563	23.5	24.0	53.8
1998	642	26.5	24.2	56.5
1999	730	29.5	24.7	61
2000	721	36.0	20.0	60.5
2001	750	38.0	19.7	60
2002	782	38.0	20.6	66.6
2003	782	38.0	20.6	66.6
2004	764	39.0	19.6	65.3
2005	750	38.0	19.7	61.7
2006	772	38.0	20.3	60.8
2007	762	38.0	20.1	65.5
2008	745	38.0	19.6	63
2009	759	36.0	20.0	66.7
2010	743	31.0	23.9	56.9
2011	891	n/a	n/a	66.1
2012	865	27.5	31.4	n/a
2013	774	26.5	29.2	69.9
2014	798	26.1	30.5	79.4
2015	798	29.0	27.5	79.1
2016	786	28.0	28.0	81.2
2017	806	31.0	26.0	74.3
2018	777	32.0	24.2	74.9
2019	791	31.0	25.5	80.4
2020	797	n/a	n/a	78.5
2021	763	32.0	23.8	70.1
2022	672	n/a	n/a	68.2
2023	624	32.6	19.1	61.7
2024	649	34.7	18.6	62.9

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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