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Welcome to the Pioneer Elementary community. What's one thing that would make Pioneer Elementary even better?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,055
Elementary
DISTRICT 987 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WEAVER UNION·NCES 064188003327
Pioneer Elementary
2950 Gerard Ave., Merced, CA 95341 · (209) 725-7111 · Merced County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,055 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
20.3:1
52 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 20.6:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
91%
962 students
DISTRICT 93% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 187 | 18% |
| Grade 1 | 178 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 166 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 187 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 177 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 160 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (187) is 17% larger than its 5th grade class (160).
Student demographics
44%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 45% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Pioneer Elementary→Weaver Middle
Based on grade levels within Weaver Union. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
41.8%
CA avg 49.1% . +8.8pp since 2014
Math
36.2%
CA avg 37.7% . +13.2pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 42 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 36 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 9 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 13 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 15.3% | 26.4% | 25.6% | 32.6% |
| Math | 12.2% | 24.0% | 29.1% | 34.7% |
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 | 41.8% | 36.2% |
| 2023-24 | 37.0% | 35.9% |
| 2022-23 | 36.5% | 29.1% |
| 2021-22 | 29.3% | 20.0% |
| 2018-19 | 47.3% | 37.3% |
| 2017-18 | 47.3% | 32.1% |
| 2016-17 | 39.0% | 28.7% |
| 2015-16 | 35.0% | 31.0% |
| 2014-15 | 33.0% | 23.0% |
% 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
37.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
26.1%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+11.7pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 38% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 26% 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 Pioneer Elementary
Pioneer Elementary's state test result (37.8% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer Elementary this school | 1,055 | 91.2% | 37.8% |
| Las Palmas Elementary Sacramento | 1,001 | 90.9% | 32.6% |
| Farmdale Elementary Merced | 919 | 92.9% | 35.0% |
| Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 Bakersfield | 1,151 | 86.6% | 40.6% |
| Horizon Elementary Bakersfield | 845 | 93.8% | 29.3% |
| Berkshire Elementary Bakersfield | 932 | 85.1% | 26.4% |
Matched among California elementary 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 Pioneer Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Merced County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 37.8% | #2,688 of 5,151 | #19 of 54 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 36.2% | #2,614 of 5,172 ▼ 104 | #13 of 54 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 41.8% | #2,754 of 5,172 ▲ 271 | #20 of 54 ▲ 5 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +14.3pp | #215 of 5,116 | #4 of 53 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,055 | #51 of 5,915 | #1 of 60 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.3:1 | #1,089 of 5,352 | #8 of 53 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 44.5% | #3,161 of 5,354 | #16 of 53 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 91.2% | #941 of 5,625 | #12 of 57 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +0.9% | #1,069 of 1,139 | #14 of 14 |
Ranked against other public elementary 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
1,055
+12 (+1%) vs 2020
+63% since 2000-01, when it was 649
Student : Teacher
20.3:1
was 22.2:1
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 | 1,055 | 51.9 | 20.3:1 | 91% (962) |
| 2023-24 | 1,062 | 53.3 | 19.9:1 | 80% (851) |
| 2022-23 | 1,126 | 53.9 | 20.9:1 | 67% (759) |
| 2020-21 | 1,043 | 47 | 22.2:1 | 76% (788) |
| 2017-18 | 1,046 | 48 | 21.8:1 | 82% (861) |
| 2015-16 | 1,077 | 44 | 24.5:1 | 82% (887) |
| 2010-11 | 932 | N/A | N/A | 81% (756) |
| 2000-01 | 649 | 37 | 17.5:1 | 76% (494) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Pioneer Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 1% (1,046 to 1,055); teachers up 8% (48 to 51.9).
About Pioneer Elementary
Pioneer Elementary is an elementary school with a street address in Merced, California. School enrollment was 1,055 students in 2024-25, in kindergarten through 5. For comparison, elementary schools in California average about 465 students.
Pioneer Elementary is part of a district of 3 schools: Weaver Union, with 3,047 students.
At 73%, Hispanic students outnumber all other groups at Pioneer Elementary combined. It is also 9% Asian, 7% White, 5% multiracial, and 4% Black. Merced County's residents are about 63% Hispanic, 10 points below the school's share. The chance that two students picked at random at Pioneer Elementary belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 44%.
At Pioneer Elementary, 51.9 full-time-equivalent teachers work with students, a ratio of about 20.3:1. That ratio is under the 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California. Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch make up 91% of enrollment. That is 10 points above the 81% average for public schools in Merced County.
On a poverty-adjusted basis, Pioneer Elementary falls in the middle 80% of California schools: 37.8% actual against 26.1% predicted.
Census Bureau estimates for Merced County 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. A total of 117 public schools operate in Merced County, serving about 59,456 students.
Of nearby public schools, Weaver Middle is the closest, at about 0.7 miles. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. The nearest schools with test data average 26.1%, lower than Pioneer Elementary's 37.8%.
Pioneer Elementary is in rural territory close to an urban area, a location NCES labels Rural: Fringe.
Enrollment went from 1,043 in 2020-21 to 1,055 in 2024-25, a change of 12 students. The ratio of students to teachers went from 22.2:1 to 20.3:1 over the same years.
Families, students, and staff can use this page to discuss science fairs, picture day, and bus routes at Pioneer Elementary. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
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 Weaver Union
- Weaver MiddleMiddle · 1,073 students
- Farmdale ElementaryElementary · 919 students
- Weaver PreschoolElementary
Other schools in Merced
- Merced HighHigh · 1,943 students
- Golden Valley HighHigh · 1,917 students
- El Capitan HighHigh · 1,793 students
- Weaver MiddleMiddle · 1,073 students
- Merced County Special EducationCombined · 942 students
- Farmdale ElementaryElementary · 919 students
Other Pioneer Elementary schools
28 other US public schools in 12 states are named Pioneer Elementary. Pioneer Elementary is the largest of the 29.
- Pioneer ElementaryBrentwood, CA · 859 students
- Pioneer ElementaryUnion City, CA · 623 students
- Pioneer ElementaryEscondido, CA · 598 students
- Pioneer ElementaryDavis, CA · 572 students
- Pioneer ElementaryHanford, CA · 518 students
Nearby schools
- Weaver Middle0.7 mi · 1,073
- Golden Valley High1.0 mi · 1,917
- Charles Wright Elementary2.0 mi · 527
- Ada Givens Elementary2.1 mi · 579
- Herbert Hoover Middle2.4 mi · 629
- Don Stowell Elementary2.4 mi · 501
Frequently asked questions
About Pioneer ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Pioneer Elementary?
Pioneer Elementary enrolls approximately 1,055 students in grades KG-05.
Is Pioneer Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Pioneer Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many teachers does Pioneer Elementary have?
Pioneer Elementary employs 52 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 20.3:1.
What is the student diversity at Pioneer Elementary?
Student demographics at Pioneer Elementary are roughly 7% White, 73% Hispanic, 4% Black, 9% Asian, 5% Two or more.
What district is Pioneer Elementary in?
Pioneer Elementary is part of Weaver Union.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.