Seven Merced County schools reach state's API goal for the first time

Seven Merced County schools have reached the state's goal on the Academic Performance Index for the first time.

The California Department of Education released annual data on the state's Academic Performance Index, or API, Tuesday morning.

The API is a number from 200 to 1,000 that shows a school's performance based on state test scores. API scores serve as the main accountability measure for the state.

Eight hundred is the goal set by the state for all schools to strive toward.

More statistics from the data:

Biggest jump in API score: Bernhard Marks Elementary, Dos Palos

Biggest jump into the "800 Club": Ballico Elementary, Ballico

New 800 Club members: Ballico Elementary, Oro Loma Elementary, El Nido Elementary, Hilmar Middle, Yamato Colony Elementary, Allan Peterson Elementary, Plainsburg Union Elementary

Total number of 800 Club schools in Merced County: 15

Look for more information, including results on federal standards, in Wednesday's Merced Sun-Star.