County directory · California · 2026–27
School districts in Merced County, CA
Merced County has 21 regular public school districts, enrolling 59,478 students in 2024–25. The largest is Merced City Elementary (11,108 students, 19% of the county), followed by Merced Union High and Los Banos Unified. 19 of the 21 offer kindergarten. California's kindergarten cutoff: turn 5 by September 1.
The 21 districts, largest first
| District and office | Grades | Schools | Students | Kindergarten | District office contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merced City Elementary 444 West 23rd St., Merced | K–8 | 19 | 11,108 | 1,495 | (209) 385-6600 |
| Merced Union High 3430 A St., Atwater | 9–12 | 9 | 11,062 | — | (209) 325-2000 |
| Los Banos Unified 1717 South 11th St., Los Banos | K–12 | 17 | 11,041 | 903 | (209) 826-3801 |
| Atwater Elementary 1401 Broadway Ave., Atwater | K–8 | 11 | 4,925 | 661 | (209) 357-6100 |
| Weaver Union 1240 D St., Merced | K–8 | 4 | 3,047 | 352 | (209) 723-7606 |
| Livingston Union 922 B St., Livingston | K–8 | 5 | 2,550 | 395 | (209) 394-5400 |
| Hilmar Unified 7807 North Lander Ave., Hilmar | K–12 | 6 | 2,284 | 242 | (209) 667-5701 |
| Delhi Unified 9716 Hinton Ave., Delhi | K–12 | 5 | 2,276 | 197 | (209) 656-2000 |
| Dos Palos Oro Loma Joint Unified 2041 Almond St., Dos Palos also serves Fresno County | K–12 | 7 | 2,254 | 245 | (209) 392-0200 |
| Merced County Office of Education 632 West 13th St., Merced | K–12 | 7 | 1,894 | 195 | (209) 381-6600 |
| Winton 7000 North Center St., Winton | K–8 | 4 | 1,807 | 236 | (209) 357-6175 |
| Gustine Unified 1500 Meredith Ave., Gustine | K–12 | 6 | 1,627 | 146 | (209) 854-3784 |
| McSwain Union Elementary 926 Scott Rd., Merced | K–8 | 1 | 912 | 129 | (209) 354-2700 |
| Planada Elementary 9722 East Haskell Ave., Planada | K–8 | 2 | 888 | 132 | (209) 382-0756 |
| Le Grand Union High 12961 East Le Grand Rd., Le Grand | 9–12 | 2 | 504 | — | (209) 389-9403 |
| Le Grand Union Elementary 13071 East Le Grand Rd., Le Grand | K–8 | 1 | 344 | 54 | (209) 389-4515 |
| Ballico-Cressey Elementary 11818 Gregg St., Ballico | K–8 | 2 | 336 | 43 | (209) 394-9400 |
| Merced River Union Elementary 4402 West Oakdale Rd., Winton | K–8 | 1 | 295 | 49 | (209) 358-5679 |
| El Nido Elementary 161 East El Nido Rd., El Nido | K–8 | 2 | 156 | 26 | (209) 385-8420 |
| Plainsburg Union Elementary 3708 South Plainsburg Rd., Merced | K–8 | 1 | 113 | 15 | (209) 389-4707 |
| Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary 16099 North Highway 59, Snelling | K–8 | 1 | 55 | 8 | (209) 563-6414 |
Merced County at a glance
Together the 21 districts run 113 schools from offices in 14 towns. The smallest by enrollment is Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary, with 55 students; the median Merced County district has 1,807. By grade span: 13 K–8, 6 K–12 and 2 9–12. Without kindergarten: Merced Union High (9–12) and Le Grand Union High (9–12).
Kindergarten in 2024–25, counting the 19 districts that report a K grade: 5,523 children. The biggest kindergarten was Merced City Elementary's, with 1,495; Los Banos Unified had 903, and the smallest, Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary, had 8.
Merced County holds 21 of California's 987 regular districts (2.1%) and 1.1% of its 5,201,297 public school students, ranking 17th of 58 counties by number of districts and 20th by enrollment. By size, 3 enroll 5,000 or more, 9 enroll 1,000 to 4,999 and 9 have fewer than 1,000 students, and the average school here has about 526 students.
One district reaches past the county line: Dos Palos Oro Loma Joint Unified (into Fresno County).
Which district am I in?
Each district draws its own attendance zones, so your home address decides it, and with 1 of Merced County's districts crossing county lines the county alone won't. There is no address lookup here; ask the district. Each one's own site:
Merced City Elementary · Merced Union High · Los Banos Unified · Atwater Elementary · Weaver Union · Livingston Union · Hilmar Unified · Delhi Unified · Dos Palos Oro Loma Joint Unified · Merced County Office of Education · Winton · Gustine Unified · McSwain Union Elementary · Planada Elementary · Le Grand Union High · Le Grand Union Elementary · Ballico-Cressey Elementary · Merced River Union Elementary · El Nido Elementary · Plainsburg Union Elementary · Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary
What grade will my child be in?
More in California
Every California district by county · California kindergarten cutoff
More California county directories: Fresno County (30) · Placer County (15) · Riverside County (24) · San Benito County (12) · San Diego County (42) · San Luis Obispo County (11)