Enrollment
912
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Merced, CA
Mcswain Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Mcswain Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062436003654
👥 S:T ratio 9
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 62
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mcswain Elementary earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #3 of 19
- elementary schools in Merced · Resource Index
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.8:1
- students per teacher
- 33.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Mcswain Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mcswain Elementary ranks #3 of 19 elementary schools in Merced, CA.
School address
District: Mcswain Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 062436003654 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mcswain Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mcswain Elementary
Mcswain Elementary is a large elementary school in Merced, California, enrolling 912 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 22.8:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 33.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 912 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 979 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #709, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (51%) and White (39%) (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 912 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
15.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Mcswain Union Elementary spends $12,721 per pupil, 23% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Merced's elementary schools, it stands alongside Pioneer Elementary (1,055 students): Mcswain Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (22.8:1 vs 19.9:1).
Mcswain Union Elementary operates only this one school, so Mcswain Elementary has no district-mates to compare against locally.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Mcswain Elementary compares
Mcswain Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.8:1 | ▲ 6% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.5% | ▼ 40% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 912 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.8:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
912
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
22.8:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 61% in California - lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
15.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,721
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 912 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 31 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 50.9%
White 38.8%
Asian 6.1%
Two or More 3.6%
African American 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 50.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.5, Mcswain Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mcswain Union Elementary, which includes Mcswain Elementary.
$12,721
Per student
-23%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.4%
State 66.2%
Federal 9.4%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Similar elementary schools in Merced
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Pioneer Elementary
Standard public school
1,055 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Farmdale Elementary
Standard public school
919 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Rudolph Rivera Elementary
Standard public school
917 students 29.6:1 students per teacher
Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary
Standard public school
722 students 25.8:1 students per teacher
Luther Burbank Elementary
Standard public school
716 students 28.6:1 students per teacher
Allan Peterson Elementary
Standard public school
690 students 28.8:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~912 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mcswain Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Mcswain Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Mcswain Union Elementary's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Mcswain Elementary
How many students attend Mcswain Elementary?
Mcswain Elementary has 912 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Merced, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mcswain Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mcswain Elementary is 22.8:1, which is 6% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 45% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mcswain Elementary?
33.5% of students at Mcswain Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mcswain Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Mcswain Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 50.9% of enrollment, in Merced, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mcswain Elementary?
Mcswain Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Mcswain Elementary rank among elementary schools in Merced?
By Resource Investment Index, Mcswain Elementary ranks #3 of 19 elementary schools in Merced, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Merced on the city page.
Is Mcswain Elementary a good school?
Mcswain Elementary earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Mcswain Union Elementary?
None reported; Mcswain Union Elementary operates only Mcswain Elementary as a public school district in NCES's records.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.