Merced Union High School District
Listed by NCES as Merced Union High (district ID 0624660)
Public school district · Merced County · California · NCES district ID 0624660
Merced Union High School District spent $16,578 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 54% of the other California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $16,855). Its 9 schools enrolled 11,061 students in 2024-25; 67.8% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $18,331 per student, up 10.5% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 96% (California: 86.2%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among California districts of similar size
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Merced Union High in enrollment (10,973 to 11,685 students) and Merced Union High itself.
Where the money came from
$270,564,000 in revenue: 67.8% state, 18.4% local and 13.7% federal. Total spending including $36,802,000 of capital outlay was $235,490,000, or $20,977 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$183,547,000 68%
- Local$49,838,000 18%
- Federal$37,179,000 14%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 646 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25
11,226 students in 2022-23, 11,120 students in 2023-24, 11,061 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 11,226 | 539.4 | 20.8 |
| 2023-24 | 11,120 | 552.1 | 20.1 |
| 2024-25 | 11,061 | 530.4 | 20.9 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$56,100,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,997 per student
Merced Union High School District booked $56,100,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 539 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $104,008 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 58 in 100 California districts with a figure (state median $99,744, 1,149 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $34,856,000 | 62.1% |
| Special education | $4,906,000 | 8.7% |
| Vocational | $12,577,000 | 22.4% |
| Other programs | $3,761,000 | 6.7% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $4,253 in 2018-19, $4,221 in 2019-20, $4,507 in 2020-21, $4,564 in 2021-22, $4,997 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
Graduation rate, class of 2023
96% of the 2,730 students in Merced Union High School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 96% | 86.2% |
| Students in the class | 2,730 | 495,492 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
9 high schools, 11,061 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atwater High | 2,029 | 20.7 | 68.5% | Not reported |
| Merced High | 1,943 | 22.6 | 69.5% | Not reported |
| Golden Valley High | 1,917 | 21.4 | 73.4% | Not reported |
| El Capitan High | 1,793 | 21.2 | 64.4% | Not reported |
| Buhach Colony High | 1,704 | 22.5 | 64.7% | Not reported |
| Livingston High | 1,169 | 21.0 | 71.3% | Not reported |
| Yosemite High (Continuation) | 342 | 16.1 | 79.8% | Not reported |
| Independence High (Alternative) | 87 | 8.3 | 80.5% | Not reported |
| Sequoia High | 77 | 9.0 | 88.3% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
Contact Merced Union High School District
- Website: muhsd.org
- Phone: (209) 325-2000
- Office: 3430 A St., Atwater, CA 95301
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Merced Union High School District
- California districts by spending per studentMerced Union High School District ranks 349 of 646 California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($16,578).#349 of 646
- Every school district in CaliforniaMerced Union High School District is the number 134 by size of 1,991 California districts, with 11,226 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#134 of 1,991
- Victor Valley Union High School DistrictThe next larger California district: 11,357 students in fall 2022, $18,531 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$18,531
- Covina-Valley UnifiedThe next smaller California district: 11,130 students in fall 2022, $18,183 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$18,183
- Compare Merced Union High School District with Victor Valley Union High School DistrictEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Atwater High, its largest high school2,029 students in 2024-25, 20.7 per teacher.2,029
- Teacher salary spending across CaliforniaMerced Union High School District spent $104,008 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $99,744); spending, not a salary.$104,008
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Merced Union High School District
How many schools and students are in Merced Union High School District?
9 schools were open in 2024-25 (9 high), enrolling 11,061 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Merced Union High School District spend per student?
$16,578 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the California median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $16,855 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $18,331 per student, up 10.5% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Merced Union High School District's money come from?
$270,564,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 67.8% state, 18.4% local and 13.7% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Merced Union High School District live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 2,965 of the 12,839 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 23.1%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Merced Union High School District spend on teacher salaries?
$56,100,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,997 per student. Divided by the 539 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $104,008 per teacher, more than 58 in 100 California districts (state median $99,744). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).What is the graduation rate in Merced Union High School District?
96% of the 2,730 students in Merced Union High School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Merced Union High School District's NCES district ID?
0624660. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25