Margaret Sheehy Elementary

Margaret Sheehy Elementary is a reasonably sized elementary-level community in Merced, California, run under Merced City Elementary. The school serves 481 students in grades K through 6.

Margaret Sheehy Elementary is one of 19 schools operated by Merced City Elementary, a district that works with 11,108 students overall.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Margaret Sheehy Elementary lists that 82% of students identify as Hispanic, making the school strongly Hispanic-majority; the rest is composed of 7% Black, 4% Asian, 3% White, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Merced County as a whole is about 63% Hispanic, so the school skews meaningfully more Hispanic than its surroundings.

On the resource side, On paper, Margaret Sheehy Elementary has 20 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 24.1:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 22.3:1, putting Margaret Sheehy Elementary higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 94% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is north of Merced County's rate of about 81%.

After controlling for student poverty, Margaret Sheehy Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 23.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 16.3%.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Merced County) shows that median household income runs about $65,510, 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 16%. In all, Merced County runs 117 public schools (combined enrollment of about 59,456 students), of which Margaret Sheehy Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Valley Merced Community, roughly 0.4 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Margaret Sheehy Elementary. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Margaret Sheehy Elementary at 6th of 7; the average score across the group is 21.3%.

Geographically, the school is in a city-core area.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 18%: 588 students in 2018 compared to 481 in 2025. The Asian share of enrollment declined from 10% to 4% over that span.

Inside the community feed, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.