The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in Social studies. The lowest is 17% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Livingston Middle
Livingston Middle serves grades six through eight in a small agricultural city in northern Merced County. The school draws about equally across its three grade levels and is situated in a close-knit community rooted in sweet-potato farming and poultry processing, where Foster Farms is headquartered and operates a major facility. Most of the student body is Latino, with a substantial share of families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's address is 101 F Street, in the heart of Livingston's compact downtown area.
State assessment results from 2024-25 show students are struggling across subjects. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from low in sixth grade to somewhat higher by eighth, with about a third of eighth graders meeting the standard. Math proficiency sits lower, around one in six students proficient across all three grades. Science proficiency in eighth grade sits at about one in four. These results place the school in the bottom quartile of districts across Merced County when looking at overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. The school's own data sections carry the specific figures; the pattern here is that this is an academically fragile school where the majority of students are not meeting grade-level benchmarks.
The peer environment at Livingston Middle reflects the community's demographics and economic realities. About four in five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Students of color account for the vast majority of enrollment: nearly all students are either Latino or Asian. The school has no private school alternative in the immediate area and sits within a district that has made a deliberate commitment to student support. Livingston Union has built out a comprehensive school counseling program funded through California's Local Control Funding Formula, placing a counselor at each campus and meeting with every student and family in fourth and seventh grades. That commitment is measured: the district has cut chronic absenteeism and suspensions more sharply than the state as a whole, signaling effort on school climate even amid low academic proficiency.
Because the school serves only middle grades, no graduation rate or high school pathway data is available. No information was provided on special education enrollment, English learner enrollment, or staffing. School discipline data, course-access data, and attendance figures specific to this school were not available.
Housing in the Livingston area is relatively affordable compared to the state and nation, with home prices well below California's median. A family buying would face a monthly mortgage that is offset partly by modest rental costs as well, making the area accessible to working families even on modest wages. The city itself sits on a quiet, slower-paced rhythm anchored by downtown parks and a branch library on Main Street, with Highway 99 as the primary commercial corridor. Growth pressures are real but constrained by water infrastructure limits and farmland preservation interests; a future commuter rail station is planned for 2030.
A parent or resident weighing this school should know the academic performance is well below state norms and asks for careful conversation with the school about what supports exist for students who come in behind or struggle. The district's investment in counseling is real and measurable, and it shows in attendance and school climate outcomes. The peer group is predominantly Latino and from low-income households, which means this is a school rooted in a particular community rather than a magnet or charter with school-choice reach. For families committed to the Livingston community or seeking a close-knit rural school environment with a strong counseling footprint, it is a place with assets to explore further. For families looking for higher academic proficiency or broader school options, the data suggests the need to look beyond this school or district.
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