Enrollment
99
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Merced, CA
Valley Merced Community
Federal NCES profile for Valley Merced Community, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 069102008217
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Valley Merced Community earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of California schools.
- #2 of 4
- schools in Merced · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11:1
- small classes for California
- 87.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Valley Merced Community has class sizes smaller than 95% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Valley Merced Community ranks #2 of 4 schools in Merced, CA.
School address
District: Merced County Office of Education · California
NCES ID 069102008217 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-49% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+58% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Valley Merced Community compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Valley Merced Community
Valley Merced Community is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Merced, California, enrolling 99 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11:1, Valley Merced Community is leaner than roughly 95% of California schools and 49% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 87.9% of students qualify for free meals, 58% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 99 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 216 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #88.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (78%) and White (10%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 283 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
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): Valley Merced Community is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11:1 vs 13.1:1).
Merced County Office of Education also operates Merced County Special Education (942 students) and Merced Scholars Charter (334 students) alongside Valley Merced Community.
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 Valley Merced Community compares
Valley Merced Community on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11:1 | ▼ 49% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.9% | ▲ 58% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 99 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11:1
Leaner classes than 83% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
99
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
87.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 58% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11:1
students per teacher
- 49% below state mean
Top 5% in California - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
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
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.1 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 77.6%
White 10.2%
African American 10.2%
Two or More 2.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 77.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 37.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 37.7, Valley Merced Community 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 Valley Merced Community.
$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 Valley Merced Community Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merced County Special Education | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Merced Scholars Charter | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Valley Los Banos Community | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Come Back Charter | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Valley Atwater Community | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Valley Merced Community'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
- 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
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 (~99 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Valley Merced Community's federal record.
- Compare Valley Merced Community 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 Valley Merced Community
How many students attend Valley Merced Community?
Valley Merced Community has 99 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Merced, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley Merced Community?
The student-teacher ratio at Valley Merced Community is 11:1, which is 49% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 30% 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 Valley Merced Community?
87.9% of students at Valley Merced Community are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Valley Merced Community?
The largest demographic group at Valley Merced Community is Hispanic or Latino at 77.6% of enrollment, in Merced, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valley Merced Community?
Valley Merced Community has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Valley Merced Community rank among schools in Merced?
By Resource Investment Index, Valley Merced Community ranks #2 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 Valley Merced Community a good school?
Valley Merced Community earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% 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 Valley Merced Community, Merced County Office of Education also operates Merced County Special Education (942 students), Merced Scholars Charter (334 students), and Valley Los Banos Community (160 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.