Mercey Springs Elementary, Los Banos CA

Original Research by School Decision on Mercey Springs Elementary

Mercey Springs Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Los Banos, a San Joaquin Valley agricultural city growing with an influx of Bay Area commuters seeking affordable housing. The school sits on South Mercey Springs Road and is part of Los Banos Unified, a district managing rapid enrollment growth across a dispersed campus system of schools serving the expanding community.

The school's enrollment is small relative to its grade span, and is heavily Hispanic, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. No data on English learner enrollment was reported, though the district is actively reshaping its elementary pathway: Los Banos Elementary is transitioning into a full dual language immersion program that allows families to choose bilingual instruction. That shift is part of broader boundary redrawn across the district to ease overcrowding and rebalance enrollment as new housing subdivisions have changed where families live.

State test results for Mercey Springs show persistently low proficiency across both math and English language arts, with proficiency in math notably weak, especially in fifth grade. In English language arts, proficiency ranges across the tested grades, peaking slightly in sixth grade but remaining low overall. Science proficiency, tested only in fifth grade, is also very low. These results place the school in the bottom quartile of proficiency when compared against other districts in Merced County. The proficiency index reflects a challenging academic picture. No data on attendance, chronic absenteeism, or discipline was available, nor were staffing or program details beyond the districtwide boundary and bilingual initiatives reported.

The city itself is mixed in character. The historic downtown around Sixth Street is compact and walkable, with local retail, restaurants, and civic anchors like the Merced County library branch. Beyond downtown, Los Banos is heavily auto-oriented suburban sprawl, with families relying on cars for daily life. Housing values and rents in the area remain relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks, a draw for commuters with a long drive or longer to the Bay Area. The local economy centers on agriculture, food processing, public education, and retail.

Los Banos Unified is responding to growth pressures: voters approved a major bond measure that funded a new elementary school and modernized facilities, and a new early education center opened in early 2026. Boundary changes affecting roughly a third of the district took effect to manage enrollment swings and relieve overcrowding at other schools. The dual language immersion pathway at Los Banos Elementary is a deliberate pedagogical choice now available districtwide, giving families a bilingual option alongside traditional instruction.

For a parent considering this school, the academic performance numbers warrant close examination and conversation with the school and district about support systems, classroom composition, and instructional approach. The context is a district actively managing rapid growth and reshaping its offerings, which can mean both instability and opportunity depending on how changes are implemented. Affordability and proximity to employment centers in the valley are real pulls for families in the area.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 34% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 29% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 16% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 619%

School 19% · District 21% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 31% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 33% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 34% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 634%

School 34% · District 36% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Science

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 17% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

This schoolLos Banos Unified, 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-income19%Higher-income8%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income14%Higher-income17%3 pp gap