Dona Merced Elementary

Set in Rancho Cucamonga, California, Dona Merced Elementary is a middle-of-the-pack elementary campus, part of Central Elementary. It works with 547 students across grades K through 5.

Across the 7 schools in Central Elementary (4,317 students total), Dona Merced Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Dona Merced Elementary logs that the largest single group is Hispanic at 55%, but no single group is in the majority. Beyond that, the school shows 17% White, 10% Black, 10% Asian, 8% multiracial. Compared to San Bernardino County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school currently runs with 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 24.9:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 22.3:1 average. About 68% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Dona Merced Elementary performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 39.1%, the actual is 45.5%, a residual of +6.5 points.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for San Bernardino County put the typical household earns roughly $85,478 per year, roughly 23% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. Across San Bernardino County's 583 public schools (combined enrollment of about 393,648 students), Dona Merced Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Ruth Musser Middle is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.6 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Dona Merced Elementary ranks 5th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 49.6%.

The school occupies a residential site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 6%: 580 students in 2018 compared to 547 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share contracted from 30% to 17%.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the feed for Dona Merced Elementary typically covers school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.