Don Stowell Elementary, Merced CA

Original Research by School Decision on Don Stowell Elementary

Don Stowell Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Merced, a small city in California's northern Central Valley. The school's enrollment is small for its grade band, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a low-income community.

The school sits in a city being reshaped by major infrastructure and demographic change. UC Merced's expansion and the coming California High-Speed Rail station are driving growth, particularly in North Merced and near the campus. Downtown Merced maintains a walkable, locally rooted character with mom-and-pop shops, restaurants, a used bookstore, and an artist collective, anchored by the restored Mainzer Theatre and the historic Merced County Courthouse. Civic life centers downtown, while the university campus sits about ten miles away. The city's economy blends higher education, healthcare, government, and agriculture, with UC Merced and Merced College the largest employers, alongside Mercy Medical Center and regional food processors. Housing values are below the state median, and rents are moderate, though housing costs remain substantial relative to local incomes.

The parent district, Merced City Elementary, is navigating significant structural change. In November voters approved a major school facilities bond to modernize and upgrade all eighteen district schools over roughly the next decade, adding a recurring property tax burden. More immediately, the district is redrawing school boundaries starting next school year to address overcrowding, and plans to move sixth graders back to middle school campuses beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, affecting a substantial share of students and families across the district.

Academically, Don Stowell's state test results are below the middle of the pack compared to other elementary schools in Merced County. In English language arts, overall proficiency sits in the lower range, with results varying by grade from around one in five students showing proficiency in third grade to nearly three in ten in sixth grade. Math proficiency is lower still, ranging from roughly one in three students in third grade down to roughly one in thirteen by sixth grade. Science proficiency, measured only in fifth grade, sits around one in eight students. These numbers reflect a student population with substantial academic need and suggest the school would benefit from targeted intervention in core subjects, particularly math. A parent may want to ask the school directly about its reading and math support programs and how it approaches instruction for students entering below grade level. The school serves the full span of early elementary grades and so has no graduation rate or secondary outcome data. Information about special education enrollment or English learner services was not available. The school website was not located in the data provided, so a parent seeking details about specific programs, class sizes, school culture, or staff should contact the school or district directly.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 32% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 419%

School 19% · District 24% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 19% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 68%

School 8% · District 18% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 30% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 32% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 37% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 628%

School 28% · District 36% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 22% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

This schoolMerced City 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.