Weaver Middle, Merced CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Weaver Middle

Weaver Middle School serves grades six through eight in Merced, a small city in California's northern Central Valley. The school enrolls a student body with a substantial majority Hispanic students and a smaller share of Asian students, with other groups represented in smaller numbers. A substantial portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is part of Weaver Union School District, which in late 2024 secured voter approval for a general obligation bond focused on construction to address crowding and modernization of classrooms, electrical systems, plumbing, technology infrastructure, and safety upgrades—a multi-year investment that comes with an associated property tax obligation for residents.

The academic profile at Weaver Middle is characterized by low proficiency rates across tested subjects. In mathematics, sixth-grade proficiency stands lower, with proficiency rising slightly in seventh grade and moving down again in eighth grade. English language arts shows a similar pattern: sixth grade is at a baseline, seventh grade rises, and eighth grade declines. Science proficiency in eighth grade is notably lower than either ELA or math. Across the school's tested grades and subjects, the overall proficiency index places Weaver Middle below the midpoint among the districts in Merced County. These are flat performance numbers that a family should understand clearly: fewer than one in three students are meeting grade-level standards in most subjects. The school has only one year of state assessment data available, so trend information is not yet available.

The school offers band among its arts programming. Information about other courses, clubs, support services, or extracurricular opportunities was not available in the data, so a parent may want to look into this further with the school or its website.

Merced itself is in the early stages of significant growth and change. The city is anchored by UC Merced and Merced College, along with healthcare, government, and agricultural employers. A major civic undertaking is underway: the planned California High-Speed Rail station, expected to serve the area by around 2030, is driving downtown revitalization and concentrated new development in the North Merced area near the new transit hub and toward the UC campus. Housing values in the area are below the state benchmark, though rental costs have risen notably in the recent year. The downtown retains a small-town character with locally owned shops and restaurants, while the wider area depends on car travel and Highway 99. For families considering the area, the growth trajectory and the bond investment signal a district in transition, with both construction activity and long-term tax implications to weigh.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 6 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 730%

School 30% · District 30%

even with state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 28%

even with state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 634%

School 34% · District 34%

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

Grade 736%

School 36% · District 36%

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

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 28%

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

Science

Grade 817%

School 17% · District 17%

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

Social studies

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

This schoolWeaver Union, 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 6Lower-income34%Higher-income30%4 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income35%Higher-income36%1 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income28%Higher-income24%4 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income25%Higher-income22%3 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income30%Higher-income27%2 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income27%Higher-income44%17 pp gap