Merced Times

Atwater High School had the highest enrollment among Merced County schools, welcoming 2,095 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, 52% of them were boys, and 48% were girls.

Among the 105 schools in Merced County, Golden Valley High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 1,956 students, while Merced High School welcomed 1,894 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

Atwater High School is part of Merced Union High School District, which roughly covers schools within Merced County and has a main office in Merced.

In the previous school year, Atwater High School also had the highest number of students among Merced County schools.

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 predicted by the Public Policy Institute of California to drop another 8% by the 2031-32 school year.

School name	City	Total School Enrollment
Atwater High School	Atwater	2,095
Golden Valley High School	Merced	1,956
Merced High School	Merced	1,894
El Capitan High School	Merced	1,839
Pacheco High School	Los Banos	1,799
Buhach Colony High School	Atwater	1,746
Los Banos High School	Los Banos	1,617
Livingston High School	Livingston	1,156
Pioneer Elementary School	Merced	1,126
Weaver Middle School	Merced	1,003
Farmdale Elementary School	Merced	1,001
Elim Elementary School	Hilmar	943
Grasslands Elementary School	Los Banos	892
McSwain Elementary School	Merced	883
Los Banos Junior High School	Los Banos	862
Merced County Special Education	Merced	848
Rudolph Rivera Elementary School	Merced	840
Livingston Middle School	Livingston	833
Creekside Junior High School	Los Banos	817
R. M. Miano Elementary School	Los Banos	803
Mitchell Intermediate School	Atwater	739
Delhi High School	Delhi	732
Lorena Falasco Elementary School	Los Banos	727
Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary School	Merced	725
Henry Miller Elementary School	Los Banos	712
Peggy Heller Elementary School	Atwater	707
Hilmar High School	Hilmar	693
Bellevue Elementary School	Atwater	680
Luther Burbank Elementary School	Merced	678
Dos Palos High School	Dos Palos	665
Allan Peterson Elementary School	Merced	664
Mercey Springs Elementary School	Los Banos	651
Joe Stefani	Merced	628
Winton Middle School	Winton	624
Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle School	Merced	616
Herbert Hoover Middle School	Merced	614
John Muir Elementary School	Merced	605
Yamato Colony Elementary School	Livingston	603
Selma Herndon Elementary School	Livingston	601
Alicia Reyes Elementary School	Merced	596
Gustine High School	Gustine	586
Planada Elementary School	Planada	585
Westside Union Elementary School	Los Banos	585
Ada Givens Elementary School	Merced	584
Rudolph Rivera Middle School	Merced	579
Franklin Elementary School	Merced	575
Thomas Olaeta Elementary School	Atwater	564
Charles Wright Elementary School	Merced	563
Tenaya Middle School	Merced	563
Mitchell Elementary School	Atwater	553
John C. Fremont Elementary School	Merced	550
Gustine Elementary School	Gustine	544
Dos Palos Elementary School	Dos Palos	539
Elmer Wood Elementary School	Atwater	537
Shaffer Elementary School	Atwater	534
Margaret Sheehy Elementary School	Merced	533
Leontine Gracey Elementary School	Merced	526
Don Stowell Elementary School	Merced	517
Bryant Middle School	Dos Palos	514
Bernhard Marks Elementary School	Dos Palos	504
Hilmar Middle School	Hilmar	504
Harmony Elementary School	Delhi	492
Winfield Elementary School	Winton	471
Campus Park Elementary School	Livingston	467
Le Grand High School	Le Grand	464
Schendel Elementary School	Delhi	451
Los Banos Elementary School	Los Banos	441
Frank Sparkes Elementary School	Winton	426
Aileen Colburn Elementary School	Atwater	412
Volta Elementary School	Los Banos	411
Gustine Middle School	Gustine	405
Delhi Middle School	Delhi	387
Sybil N. Crookham Elementary School	Winton	383
Charleston Elementary School	Los Banos	350
Le Grand Elementary School	Le Grand	337
El Capitan Elementary School	Delhi	330
Yosemite High (Continuation)	Merced	325
Ballico-Cressey Community Charter	Ballico	321
Cesar E. Chavez Middle School	Planada	286
Merced Scholars Charter	Merced	281
Washington Elementary School	Winton	275
Valley Merced Community	Merced	232
Bellevue Senior Elementary School	Atwater	195
Romero Elementary School	Santa Nella	190
El Nido Elementary School	El Nido	148
Crossroads Alternative Education Center	Los Banos	141
Valley Los Banos Community	Merced	138
Merquin Elementary School	Hilmar	120
Independence High (Alternative)	Merced	119
Plainsburg Union Elementary School	Merced	108
Transitional Kindergarten Center	Los Banos	108
Come Back Charter	Merced	102
Sequoia High School	Merced	96
San Luis High (Continuation)	Los Banos	86
Floyd A. Schelby	Merced	73
Westside High School	Dos Palos	61
Irwin High (Continuation)	Hilmar	53
Snelling-Merced Falls Elementary School	Snelling	53
Cressey Elementary School	Ballico	48
Granada High School	LE GRAND	38
Merced County Juvenile Court	Merced	23
Pioneer High (Continuation)	Gustine	21
Merced City School District Community Day	Merced	17
Valley Atwater Community	Merced	9
Atwater Senior Academy	Atwater	8