Merced County Education: Which district had most students enrolled in schools in 2022-23 school year?

CA Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond 2023 | California Department of Education

By Merced Times

Oct 17, 2024

Merced Union High School District had the highest enrollment among Merced County school districts, welcoming 11,226 students during the 2022-23 school year, according to the California Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2022-23 school year, 51.4% of them were boys, and 48.5% were girls.

The most represented ethnicity among Merced Union High School District students was white, accounting for 13% of the student population.

Among the 21 districts in Merced County, Los Banos Unified School District ranked second in enrollment numbers with 11,002 students, while Merced City Elementary School District welcomed 10,973 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

Merced Union High School District roughly covers schools within Merced County and has a main office in Merced.

In the previous school year, Merced Union High School District also had the highest number of students among Merced County districts.

In the last decade, enrollment in California elementary and secondary schools rose by at least 5%, while high school enrollment dropped 5%.

However, overall enrollment in California public schools is sliding, and the Public Policy Institute of California expects it to drop another 8% by the 2031-32 school year.

Enrollment in Merced Union High School District Over 6 Years

Enrollment in Merced County Districts During 2022-23 School Year

District	City (main office)	Total Enrollment
Merced Union High School District	Merced	11,226
Los Banos Unified School District	Los Banos	11,002
Merced City Elementary School District	Merced	10,973
Atwater Elementary School District	Atwater	4,929
Weaver Union School District	Merced	3,130
Livingston Union School District	Livingston	2,504
Delhi Unified School District	Delhi	2,392
Hilmar Unified School District	Hilmar	2,313
Dos Palos Oro Loma Joint Unified School District	Dos Palos	2,283
Winton	Winton	1,904
Gustine Unified School District	Gustine	1,746
Merced County Office of Education	Merced	1,706
McSwain Union Elementary School District	Merced	883
Planada Elementary School District	Planada	871
Le Grand Union High School District	Le Grand	502
Ballico-Cressey Elementary School District	Ballico	369
Le Grand Union Elementary School District	Le Grand	337
Merced River Union Elementary School District	Winton	275
El Nido Elementary School District	El Nido	148
Plainsburg Union Elementary School District	Merced	108
Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary School District	Snelling	53