Is Merced Elementary a good school?

Merced Elementary ranks 782 nd of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Merced Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 601 students attended Merced Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Merced Elementary?

Students at Merced Elementary are 66% Hispanic, 27% Asian, 3% White, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Merced Elementary attend?

Students who attend Merced Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Hollencrest Middle High : Edgewood High High : West Covina High

Merced Elementary

Summary:

Merced Elementary is a public elementary school located in West Covina, California, serving around 600 students in grades K-5. As part of the West Covina Unified School District, Merced Elementary consistently ranks in the top 15% of California elementary schools, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Merced Elementary excels academically, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics that significantly outpace the district and state averages across all grade levels. For example, in 2023-2024, 71.05% of Merced Elementary students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 46.8% for the district and 47.04% for the state. In Mathematics, 71.15% of Merced Elementary students were proficient or better, compared to 35.97% for the district and 35.54% for the state. The school also provides exceptional support for diverse student subgroups, ranking highly for Hispanic, English Language Learner, Low Socioeconomic Status, and Homeless students.

Merced Elementary's success is particularly noteworthy given its relatively high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 68.5% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023. The school outperforms nearby Wescove Elementary, Vine Elementary, and Cameron Elementary in both academic proficiency and student subgroup performance, suggesting effective strategies and resources to address the needs of economically disadvantaged students.

Detail:

Public K-5

1545 East Merced Ave.
West Covina, CA 91791-3555

(626) 931-1700

District: West Covina Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
782^nd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,661

Students who attend Merced Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Hollencrest Middle
High:	Edgewood High
	West Covina High

Student/teacher ratio: 28.6

Number of students: 601

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

66.4%

Asian:

27.3%

White:

3.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 67.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Merced Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Merced Elementary ranks better than 86.7% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks first among 7 ranked elementary schools in the West Covina Unified School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 88.55. (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 Merced Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the West Covina Unified School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (66.4%), Asian (27.3%), White (3.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 67.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Merced Elementary is 28.6, which is the highest among 8 elementary schools in the West Covina Unified School District! (See more...)

Compare Merced Elementary employs 21 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Merced Elementary is $6,661, which is the lowest among 8 elementary schools in the West Covina Unified School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Merced Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Merced Elementary 782^nd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Merced Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

West Covina Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks West Covina Unified 605^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Merced Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Merced Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	53.74	1972^nd	4809	59.0%
2005	58.09	1828^th	4822	62.1%
2006	49.24	2226^th	4818	53.8%
2007	55.43	2044^th	5113	60.0%
2008	61.12	1806^th	5113	64.7%
2009	63.26	1757^th	5193	66.2%
2010	79.55	1026^th	5314	80.7%
2011	80.93	946^th	5377	82.4%
2012	85.38	703^rd	5390	87.0%
2013	84.58	789^th	5530	85.7%
2015	80.36	1098^th	5611	80.4%
2016	81.51	1069^th	5614	81.0%
2017	85.91	875^th	5692	84.6%
2018	84.07	939^th	5662	83.4%
2019	85.59	880^th	5789	84.8%
2022	86.57	873^rd	5883	85.2%
2023	86.81	879^th	5874	85.0%
2024	88.55	782^nd	5862	86.7%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Merced Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	83.36	191^st	3160	94.0%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Merced Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	90.80	253^rd	5084	95.0%
2019	93.90	176^th	5173	96.6%
2022	94.79	190^th	5264	96.4%
2023	93.69	241^st	5374	95.5%
2024	88.35	504^th	5511	90.9%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Merced Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	97.88	7^th	356	98.0%
2023	99.43	1^st	336	99.7%
2024	98.69	6^th	364	98.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at Merced Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	80.02	1044^th	5413	80.7%
2019	81.24	1019^th	5492	81.4%
2022	83.47	943^rd	5635	83.3%
2023	84.43	915^th	5617	83.7%
2024	82.96	956^th	5605	82.9%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Merced Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	89.14	195^th	2585	92.5%
2022	60.83	584^th	2227	73.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Merced Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	85.23	825^th	5431	84.8%
2019	87.11	727^th	5510	86.8%
2022	86.67	796^th	5663	85.9%
2023	86.35	799^th	5650	85.9%
2024	90.35	581^st	5636	89.7%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Merced Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	71.72	331^st	1071	69.1%
2019	71.94	326^th	1149	71.6%
2022	74.01	299^th	1154	74.1%
2023	65.69	501^st	1190	57.9%
2024	63.87	539^th	1203	55.2%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Merced Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	90.37	292^nd	4830	94.0%
2019	92.00	224^th	4963	95.5%
2022	91.54	300^th	5084	94.1%
2023	92.90	245^th	5098	95.2%
2024	92.60	259^th	5102	94.9%

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 Merced Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	205	38	35	196	2	n/a	n/a	0	476
1989	182	55	62	194	2	n/a	n/a	0	495
1990	176	56	65	217	1	n/a	n/a	0	515
1991	162	58	69	215	1	n/a	n/a	0	505
1992	147	66	82	228	0	n/a	n/a	0	523
1993	131	65	77	266	0	n/a	n/a	0	539
1994	117	77	77	296	1	n/a	n/a	0	568
1995	101	49	67	333	3	n/a	n/a	0	553
1996	101	49	67	333	3	n/a	n/a	0	553
1997	101	48	62	306	4	n/a	n/a	0	521
1998	94	53	62	337	5	n/a	n/a	0	551
1999	61	42	55	331	2	n/a	n/a	0	491
2000	75	44	47	340	0	n/a	n/a	0	506
2001	72	35	45	353	0	n/a	n/a	0	505
2002	50	35	52	298	0	n/a	n/a	0	435
2003	50	35	52	298	0	n/a	n/a	0	435
2004	53	26	45	323	0	n/a	n/a	1	448
2005	54	24	46	311	0	n/a	n/a	2	437
2006	52	21	66	315	1	n/a	n/a	0	455
2007	42	20	57	312	1	n/a	n/a	2	434
2008	34	19	51	327	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	431
2009	36	18	44	322	0	2	20	0	442
2010	34	22	60	341	0	2	0	0	459
2011	36	20	49	360	0	3	3	0	471
2012	31	21	41	378	0	3	4	0	478
2013	30	19	53	383	0	2	3	0	490
2014	29	18	66	409	0	2	8	0	532
2015	33	19	76	403	0	2	10	0	543
2016	37	15	81	410	0	1	8	0	552
2017	32	14	100	411	0	0	7	0	564
2018	29	15	106	430	0	0	7	0	587
2019	24	14	119	459	0	0	5	0	621
2020	20	19	125	446	0	0	5	0	615
2021	17	11	142	436	0	0	7	0	613
2022	18	3	163	416	0	0	6	0	606
2023	14	4	156	416	0	0	10	0	600
2024	21	4	164	399	0	0	13	0	601

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 Merced Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	476	18.0	26.4	n/a
1989	495	17.0	29.1	n/a
1990	515	19.0	27.1	n/a
1991	505	20.0	25.2	n/a
1992	523	20.3	25.7	43
1993	539	19.5	27.6	47.5
1994	568	20.0	28.4	35.2
1995	553	20.0	27.7	56.1
1996	553	20.0	27.7	56.1
1997	521	21.5	24.2	49.7
1998	551	24.0	23.0	58.1
1999	491	23.0	21.3	58.5
2000	506	24.0	21.1	50
2001	505	24.0	21.0	56.4
2002	435	22.0	19.8	53.6
2003	435	22.0	19.8	53.6
2004	448	22.0	20.4	57.3
2005	437	21.0	20.8	61.6
2006	455	22.0	20.7	61.1
2007	434	21.0	20.7	66.9
2008	431	24.0	18.0	60.8
2009	442	23.0	18.4	71.7
2010	459	23.0	19.9	61
2011	471	n/a	n/a	63.3
2012	478	22.5	21.2	n/a
2013	490	22.5	21.7	71
2014	532	21.0	25.3	66.7
2015	543	22.0	24.6	68.1
2016	552	21.0	26.2	65.6
2017	564	21.0	26.8	67.9
2018	587	23.0	25.5	67.6
2019	621	23.0	27.0	68.9
2020	615	n/a	n/a	72.2
2021	613	22.1	27.7	71.1
2022	606	22.8	26.5	66.2
2023	600	21.2	28.1	68.5
2024	601	21.0	28.6	67.9

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 Merced Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	476	18.0	26.4	n/a
1989	495	17.0	29.1	n/a
1990	515	19.0	27.1	n/a
1991	505	20.0	25.2	n/a
1992	523	20.3	25.7	43
1993	539	19.5	27.6	47.5
1994	568	20.0	28.4	35.2
1995	553	20.0	27.7	56.1
1996	553	20.0	27.7	56.1
1997	521	21.5	24.2	49.7
1998	551	24.0	23.0	58.1
1999	491	23.0	21.3	58.5
2000	506	24.0	21.1	50
2001	505	24.0	21.0	56.4
2002	435	22.0	19.8	53.6
2003	435	22.0	19.8	53.6
2004	448	22.0	20.4	57.3
2005	437	21.0	20.8	61.6
2006	455	22.0	20.7	61.1
2007	434	21.0	20.7	66.9
2008	431	24.0	18.0	60.8
2009	442	23.0	18.4	71.7
2010	459	23.0	19.9	61
2011	471	n/a	n/a	63.3
2012	478	22.5	21.2	n/a
2013	490	22.5	21.7	71
2014	532	21.0	25.3	66.7
2015	543	22.0	24.6	68.1
2016	552	21.0	26.2	65.6
2017	564	21.0	26.8	67.9
2018	587	23.0	25.5	67.6
2019	621	23.0	27.0	68.9
2020	615	n/a	n/a	72.2
2021	613	22.1	27.7	71.1
2022	606	22.8	26.5	66.2
2023	600	21.2	28.1	68.5
2024	601	21.0	28.6	67.9

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.

Kindergarten Immunization Rates