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How has Atwater High changed in the last five years, for better or worse?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,029
High
DISTRICT 1,229 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MERCED UNION HIGH·NCES 062466003699
Atwater High
2201 Fruitland Ave., Atwater, CA 95301 · (209) 325-1200 · Merced County
GRADES 09–12HIGH22-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,029 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 19% of California public high schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- C+Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public high schools
Student : Teacher
20.7:1
98 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.1:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
82%
1,666 students
DISTRICT 83% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 539 | 27% |
| Grade 10 | 508 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 503 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 479 | 24% |
Student demographics
32%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 44% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
41.5%
CA avg 49.1% . +1.5pp since 2014
Math
13.4%
CA avg 37.7% . +2.4pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 41 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 13 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 1 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 2 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 16.0% | 25.5% | 22.9% | 35.6% |
| Math | 3.6% | 9.9% | 22.7% | 63.9% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 41.5% | 13.4% |
| 2023-24 | 42.7% | 13.9% |
| 2022-23 | 39.0% | 11.4% |
| 2021-22 | 40.2% | 13.8% |
| 2020-21 | 52.3% | 19.3% |
| 2018-19 | 40.7% | 15.7% |
| 2017-18 | 46.5% | 17.4% |
| 2016-17 | 50.1% | 20.9% |
| 2015-16 | 51.0% | 18.0% |
| 2014-15 | 40.0% | 11.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
27.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
31.4%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 28% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 31% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Atwater High
Atwater High's state test result (27.9% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atwater High this school | 2,029 | 82.1% | 27.9% |
| Monache High Porterville | 1,855 | 81.2% | 42.1% |
| Escondido High Escondido | 1,656 | 82.7% | 40.4% |
| Madera High Madera | 1,869 | 81.8% | 36.1% |
| Chula Vista Senior High Chula Vista | 1,864 | 80.1% | 28.6% |
| Peter Johansen High Modesto | 2,029 | 81.9% | 30.1% |
Matched among California high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Atwater High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Merced County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 27.9% | #863 of 1,052 | #9 of 13 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 13.4% | #879 of 1,056 ▼ 89 | #10 of 13 ▼ 5 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 41.5% | #875 of 1,056 ▼ 55 | #10 of 13 ▲ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +0.4pp | #632 of 1,044 | #6 of 13 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,029 | #277 of 2,093 | #1 of 24 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.7:1 | #643 of 1,352 | #8 of 14 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 31.9% | #956 of 1,351 | #7 of 14 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 82.1% | #550 of 1,575 | #10 of 17 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +11.1% | #116 of 327 | #3 of 9 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
2,029
+14 (+1%) vs 2020
-10% since 1990-91, when it was 2,247
Student : Teacher
20.7:1
was 22.1:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 2,029 | 98.2 | 20.7:1 | 82% (1,666) |
| 2023-24 | 2,051 | 99.2 | 20.7:1 | 80% (1,649) |
| 2022-23 | 2,095 | 96.2 | 21.8:1 | 76% (1,601) |
| 2020-21 | 2,015 | 91 | 22.1:1 | 77% (1,546) |
| 2017-18 | 1,826 | 80.2 | 22.8:1 | 81% (1,484) |
| 2015-16 | 1,885 | 82 | 23.0:1 | 82% (1,549) |
| 2010-11 | 1,859 | N/A | N/A | 89% (1,651) |
| 2000-01 | 2,727 | 117 | 23.3:1 | 68% (1,860) |
| 1990-91 | 2,247 | 104 | 21.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Atwater High.
Since 2017-18: students up 11% (1,826 to 2,029); teachers up 22% (80.2 to 98.2).
About Atwater High
The public high school Atwater High is located in Atwater, California. Enrolled students number 2,029 students, in grades 9 through 12. Statewide, high schools in California average about 838 students each.
Merced Union High operates 9 schools. Combined enrollment is 11,061 students.
Atwater High enrolls a student body that is 82% Hispanic. The school is also 12% White and 3% Asian. That is higher than the 63% Hispanic share among all Merced County residents. The chance that two students picked at random at Atwater High belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 32%.
Teachers at Atwater High total 98.2 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 20.7:1. For comparison, high schools in California average 18.2:1. Federal records put free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at 82%. Across public schools in Merced County, the average is about the same, 81%.
Atwater High is graded C- by allk12, scoring above 19% of California public high schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Based on student poverty, the model expects 31.4% at Atwater High; the school's average proficiency rate on state tests is 27.9%.
Merced County census figures show that median household income is about $65,510, 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 16% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Atwater High is among the 117 public schools in Merced County.
The nearest other public school, Elmer Wood Elementary, is about 0.7 miles away. The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8. The average proficiency across nearby scored schools is 43.2%; Atwater High's is 27.9%, ranking 8th of 8.
NCES assigns Atwater High the locale Suburb: Mid-size, meaning in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
The school's size has been steady, with 2,015 students in 2020-21 and 2,029 in 2024-25. Its ratio of students to teachers was 22.1:1 in 2020-21, and 20.7:1 in 2024-25.
The Atwater High community page is open for posts about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Merced County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
290,201
Census ACS
Median income
$65,510
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
15%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
16%
Below federal line
Schools in county
117
59,456 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Merced Union High
- Merced HighHigh · 1,943 students
- Golden Valley HighHigh · 1,917 students
- El Capitan HighHigh · 1,793 students
- Buhach Colony HighHigh · 1,704 students
- Livingston HighHigh · 1,169 students
- Yosemite High (Continuation)High · 342 students
Other schools in Atwater
- Buhach Colony HighHigh · 1,704 students
- Mitchell IntermediateMiddle · 744 students
- Peggy Heller ElementaryElementary · 712 students
- Bellevue ElementaryElementary · 599 students
- Mitchell ElementaryElementary · 528 students
- Elmer Wood ElementaryElementary · 514 students
Nearby schools
- Elmer Wood Elementary0.7 mi · 514
- Atwater Senior Academy0.8 mi · 5
- Aileen Colburn Elementary0.8 mi · 371
- Mitchell Elementary0.9 mi · 528
- Mitchell Intermediate1.0 mi · 744
- Winton Middle1.0 mi · 579
Frequently asked questions
About Atwater HighWhat is the total enrollment at Atwater High?
Atwater High enrolls approximately 2,029 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Atwater High serve?
Atwater High serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Atwater High?
Approximately 20.7:1 students per teacher at Atwater High.
What is the student diversity at Atwater High?
Student demographics at Atwater High are roughly 12% White, 82% Hispanic, 1% Black, 3% Asian, 2% Two or more.
What district is Atwater High in?
Atwater High is part of Merced Union High.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.