At $21,396 per pupil, Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary ranks #329 of 1880 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
53
Total Enrollment
1
Schools
$21,396
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary operates 1 public schools serving 53 students, placing it among the smallest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 elementary schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Merced County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $21,396 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 1880 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 47.0% local, 34.3% state, and 18.7% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one.
and 34.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 52.7% Hispanic or Latino, 41.8% White across the district's schools.
Snelling-Merced Falls Elementary accounts for 100.0% of all Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary a distant remainder — means Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: elementary. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Because it contains a majority of the affected population, enrollment-weighted aggregates will sit closer to this entity's reported fields than to those of smaller peers; an unweighted entity count answers a different question.
Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary reports 84.9% free-lunch eligibility
The reported share is at least 75%, indicating a high concentration of measured economic need. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary chronic absenteeism rate is 34.5% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Comparisons are relative to Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in California
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How many schools are in Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary?
Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary has 1 school, including 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 53 students.
How much does Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary spend per student?
Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary spends $21,396 per student.
What is the demographic composition of Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary?
Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary students are 52.7% Hispanic or Latino, 41.8% White, averaged across 1 school. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.