Enrollment
334
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Merced, CA
Merced Scholars Charter
Federal NCES profile for Merced Scholars Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 069102010960Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 8
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merced Scholars Charter earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 75% of California schools.
- #4 of 4
- schools in Merced · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.6:1
- small classes for California
- 67.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Merced Scholars Charter has class sizes smaller than 75% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Merced Scholars Charter ranks #4 of 4 schools in Merced, CA.
School address
District: Merced County Office of Education · California
NCES ID 069102010960 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merced Scholars Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merced Scholars Charter
Merced Scholars Charter is a higher-need, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Merced, California, enrolling 334 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 67.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 334 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,416 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #834.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (74%) and White (16%) (diversity index 42/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 334 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.8% 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 County Special Education (942 students): Merced Scholars Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.6:1 vs 13.1:1).
Merced County Office of Education also operates Merced County Special Education (942 students) and Valley Los Banos Community (160 students) alongside Merced Scholars Charter.
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 Scholars Charter compares
Merced Scholars Charter on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.6:1 | ▼ 13% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.6% | ▲ 22% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 334 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.6:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
334
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 22% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.6:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 25% in California - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
36.8%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 334 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 74.0%
White 16.0%
Asian 4.8%
Two or More 3.6%
African American 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 74.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.3, Merced Scholars Charter is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Merced County Office of Education, which includes Merced Scholars Charter.
$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 Scholars Charter Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merced County Special Education | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Valley Los Banos Community | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Come Back Charter | Smaller | Similar 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 Scholars Charter's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 942
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- 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 (~334 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merced Scholars Charter's federal record.
- Compare Merced Scholars Charter 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 Scholars Charter
How many students attend Merced Scholars Charter?
Merced Scholars Charter has 334 students enrolled. It is a public school in Merced, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merced Scholars Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Merced Scholars Charter is 18.6:1, which is 13% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 18% higher 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 Scholars Charter?
67.6% of students at Merced Scholars Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merced Scholars Charter?
The largest demographic group at Merced Scholars Charter is Hispanic or Latino at 74.0% of enrollment, in Merced, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merced Scholars Charter?
Merced Scholars Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (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 Merced Scholars Charter rank among schools in Merced?
By Resource Investment Index, Merced Scholars Charter ranks #4 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 Scholars Charter a good school?
Merced Scholars Charter earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 75% 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 Scholars Charter, Merced County Office of Education also operates Merced County Special Education (942 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.