Enrollment
942
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Merced, CA
Merced County Special Education
Federal NCES profile for Merced County Special Education, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 069102007147
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merced County Special Education earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 92% of California schools.
- #3 of 4
- schools in Merced · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.1:1
- small classes for California
- 54.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Merced County Special Education has class sizes smaller than 92% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Merced County Special Education ranks #3 of 4 schools in Merced, CA.
School address
District: Merced County Office of Education · California
NCES ID 069102007147 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
72.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-39% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merced County Special Education compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merced County Special Education
Merced County Special Education is a higher-need, large combined-grade school in Merced, California, enrolling 942 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 13.1:1, Merced County Special Education is leaner than roughly 92% of California schools and 39% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 54.6% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 942 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.
Against 937 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #447.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (72%) and White (14%) (diversity index 46/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 61.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Merced County Office of Education spends $61,111 per pupil, 270% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 30.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Merced's public schools, it stands alongside Merced Scholars Charter (334 students): Merced County Special Education is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.1:1 vs 18.6:1).
Merced County Office of Education also operates Merced Scholars Charter (334 students) and Valley Los Banos Community (160 students) alongside Merced County Special Education.
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 Merced County Special Education compares
Merced County Special Education on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.1:1 | ▼ 39% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.6% | ▼ 2% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 942 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.1:1
Leaner classes than 66% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
942
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.1:1
students per teacher
- 39% below state mean
Top 8% in California - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
61.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$61,111
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 72.1%
White 13.7%
Asian 5.6%
African American 4.7%
Two or More 2.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.5, Merced County Special Education is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Merced County Office of Education, which includes Merced County Special Education.
$61,111
Per student
+270%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+268%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.1%
State 44.1%
Federal 30.8%
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.
How Merced County Special Education Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merced Scholars Charter | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Valley Los Banos Community | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Come Back Charter | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Valley Atwater Community | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Valley Merced Community | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Merced County Special Education's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 334
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 160
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 128
- Students per teacher
- 42.7:1
- Resource Index
- 7/100
- Enrollment
- 122
- Students per teacher
- 40.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 99
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar other schools in Merced
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~942 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merced County Special Education's federal record.
- Compare Merced County Special Education against another school. Compare schools
- Merced County Office of Education'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 Merced County Special Education
How many students attend Merced County Special Education?
Merced County Special Education has 942 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Merced, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merced County Special Education?
The student-teacher ratio at Merced County Special Education is 13.1:1, which is 39% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Merced County Special Education?
54.6% of students at Merced County Special Education are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merced County Special Education?
The largest demographic group at Merced County Special Education is Hispanic or Latino at 72.1% of enrollment, in Merced, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merced County Special Education?
Merced County Special Education has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Merced County Special Education rank among schools in Merced?
By Resource Investment Index, Merced County Special Education ranks #3 of 4 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 schools in Merced on the city page.
Is Merced County Special Education a good school?
Merced County Special Education earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 92% of California schools. 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 Merced County Office of Education?
Besides Merced County Special Education, Merced County Office of Education also operates Merced Scholars Charter (334 students), Valley Los Banos Community (160 students), and Come Back Charter (128 students). See the Merced County Office of Education district page for the complete list.
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.