Public schools in Atwater, CA
Atwater has 13 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 3 high, 3 middle, 7 elementary, enrolling 8,285 students. They are run by 3 districts and agencies; Atwater Elementary runs 10 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 3 districts and agencies that run Atwater's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Atwater | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atwater Elementary | 10 | 4,930 | $15,365 |
| Merced Union High School District | 2 | 11,226 | $16,578 |
| Merced County Office of Education | 1 | 1,706 | $65,270 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
3 high schools in Atwater, 3,855 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atwater High | 2,029 | 20.7 | 68.5% | Merced Union High |
| Buhach Colony High | 1,704 | 22.5 | 64.7% | Merced Union High |
| Valley Atwater Community | 122 | 15.6 | 90.2% | Merced County Office of Education |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
3 middle schools in Atwater, 927 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Intermediate | 744 | 23.8 | 64.5% | Atwater Elementary |
| Bellevue Senior Elementary | 178 | 15.3 | 89.3% | Atwater Elementary |
| Atwater Senior Academy | 5 | 4.9 | not reported | Atwater Elementary |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
7 elementary schools in Atwater, 3,503 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peggy Heller Elementary | 712 | 23.7 | 55.3% | Atwater Elementary |
| Bellevue Elementary | 599 | 24.0 | 87.1% | Atwater Elementary |
| Mitchell Elementary | 528 | 24.0 | 75.6% | Atwater Elementary |
| Elmer Wood Elementary | 514 | 23.4 | 68.1% | Atwater Elementary |
| Shaffer Elementary | 405 | 22.3 | 71.4% | Atwater Elementary |
| Thomas Olaeta Elementary | 374 | 22.0 | 65.0% | Atwater Elementary |
| Aileen Colburn Elementary | 371 | 21.8 | 85.4% | Atwater Elementary |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Atwater's public schools compare with California's
The median Atwater school has 22.3 students per full-time teacher, more than the California median of 21.6. Its median school enrolls 514 students (state 471).
| Atwater | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 22.3 | 21.6 |
| Median school size (students) | 514 | 471 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | not reported | not reported |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 100% | 74% |
| Charter schools | 0% | 13% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 13 Atwater schools and the 9,918 California schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Atwater
- Atwater ElementaryRuns 10 of Atwater's 13 public schools and spent $15,365 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$15,365
- Atwater High, the largest high school in Atwater2,029 students in 2024-25, 20.7 per teacher.2,029
- Compare Atwater Elementary with Merced Union High School DistrictAtwater's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in CaliforniaCalifornia's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for an Atwater addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in California
- Los Angeles564 schools
- San Diego283 schools
- San Jose232 schools
- Sacramento197 schools
- Fresno179 schools
- Bakersfield146 schools
- San Francisco123 schools
- Stockton122 schools
Questions about schools in Atwater
How many public schools are in Atwater, CA?
13 public schools with an address in Atwater were open in 2024-25: 3 high, 3 middle, 7 elementary, enrolling 8,285 students.What is the largest high school in Atwater?
Atwater High, with 2,029 students in 2024-25 (Merced Union High School District).Which districts run Atwater's schools?
Atwater Elementary (10 schools), Merced Union High School District (2 schools), Merced County Office of Education (1 school). A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25