Ballico-cressey Community Charter, Ballico CA

Original Research by School Decision on Ballico-cressey Community Charter

Ballico-Cressey Community Charter sits on Gregg Street in Ballico, a small, unincorporated census-designated place in northern Merced County where agriculture is the dominant industry and most residents own their homes. The community has a rural-suburban feel, is car-dependent rather than walkable, and lacks a conventional downtown. Its civic anchors are modest: a park co-located with a county fire station, access to a library bookmobile, and McConnell State Recreation Area along the Merced River. Growth in the area has been slow and measured, with county planning documents guiding development for unincorporated communities like Ballico but little new housing activity in recent years.

The school is a charter, operating within the Ballico-Cressey Elementary district and serving grades one through eight. Its enrollment is small-to-mid-sized for a K-8 setting. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with white students making up a meaningful secondary share. Close to half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a substantial share that signals real economic need in the community. English learner and IEP data were not available in the data provided, so a parent wanting to understand those support structures would need to ask the school directly.

On state assessments, the picture is uneven. The California CAASPP results for the most recent year show third and sixth graders performing comparably well in both English language arts and math, with sixth grade ELA reaching a notably strong rate. Seventh grade ELA is also solid. But fifth grade stands out as a soft spot in both subjects, and eighth grade results in both ELA and math are lower, as are fifth and eighth grade science scores on the California Science Test. The overall proficiency index places the school in the top quartile relative to districts in Merced County, which is a meaningful position in a county where the midpoint sits considerably lower. Still, across the full grade range, a majority of students in most tested grades are not yet reaching proficiency in math, and the pattern is uneven enough that parents should ask the school how it tracks and responds to those grade-by-grade gaps. Trend data covers only the most recent year, so there is no multi-year trajectory available to assess direction of travel.

Because the school ends at eighth grade, there is no graduation rate. AP courses, dual enrollment, and career pathways do not apply here for the same reason. Program detail beyond what the assessments show was not available in the data, so specifics on arts, enrichment, athletics, or elective offerings would need to come from the school itself.

The housing market around Ballico is worth noting for families weighing a move. Home values are well above the national benchmark and also above the California statewide benchmark, which is itself elevated. Year-over-year, values have declined noticeably. Rental cost data was not available at the local level. Monthly mortgage costs, calculated at current rates with a standard down payment, are substantially higher than what the national median income would suggest is comfortable, pointing to meaningful affordability pressure for buyers entering the market now.

No recent district-wide policy changes, bond measures, or curriculum shifts with lasting parent impact could be confirmed for approximately the past four years. The district brief search found nothing in that window worth flagging.

For a family already in Ballico or nearby, this is a small community charter with a genuinely competitive academic standing within Merced County, despite uneven results across grade levels in math and science. The school warrants a direct conversation about its support model, particularly for fifth and eighth grade transitions, and about what services are available for English learners and students with IEPs.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 354%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 36%

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 17%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 654%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 739%

School 39% · District 39%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 30%

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 354%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 43%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 24%

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 671%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Grade 764%

School 64% · District 64%

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 34%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 17%

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

This schoolBallico-Cressey Elementary, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income41%Higher-income46%5 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income23%Higher-income25%2 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income31%Higher-income42%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income38%Higher-income31%7 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income13%Higher-income27%14 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income22%Higher-income50%28 pp gap