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B+

McSwain Union Elementary School District

Public school districtGrades K–8

Merced’s School Grade C better than 30% of California school districts

Students
912
Schools
1
Spent per student
$14,035
CA $21,206
Students per teacher
21:1
Free or reduced lunch
35%
Debt
$2.8M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about McSwain Union Elementary School District

  • Its letter, B+: results better than 69% of California districts
  • Reading proficiency 6 pts above the state
  • Spends 34% less per student than the CA average
  • 21 students per teacher
  • Enrollment up 8.7% since 2020–21
  • Debt of $2.8M, about $3,116 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

B+: better than 69% of the 1,872 California school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math above the state, 2021–22
B+

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Merced. Grade by grade →

K–612 schoolsMerced City Elementary School District
7–84 middle schoolsMerced City Elementary School District
9–123 high schoolsMerced Union High School District

Test scores vs. CA

2021–22
Math proficiency34%
State average 33.1% · 579 students tested
Reading / language arts53%
State average 46.7% · 579 students tested

100% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Graduation rate 96% at Merced Union High, which runs the high school (state 86.2%) · class of 2023.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$14,035 per student · 34% below CA
Spending
Classroom instruction 57%Support & administration 37%Other 5%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 36%State 59%Federal 5%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
839’20
832’21
883’22
939’23
912’24

Up 8.7% since 2020–21.

Students
Hispanic 51%White 39%Asian 6%Two or more races 4%Black <1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%

Schools in the district

1 public school. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with California’s other public schools.

McSwain Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–8 · Merced
B
912 students21:1

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within California.