School Profile · Ferndale
Ferndale High: This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.
Ferndale posts 41% meeting the standard against 35% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.
1231 Main Street, 95536 (opens in new tab)·Ferndale Unified·Ferndale·Grades 9-12·145 students·46% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(707) 786-5900
Scope Score
62
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #379 statewide
Ferndale High scores 62 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 78th percentile of 1,739 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
Most rating sites would stop at “41% proficient” and call it done. Ferndale deserves a closer read. The school sits in Ferndale, where two in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
Ferndale's low-income kids hit 53.3% proficiency in ELA — a number the same group reaches at 38.2% statewide. If you're trying to read past zip-code-driven test scores, that's the signal worth weighing.
The story this school is actually telling
Proficient by 11th grade
41%
State 35%
Graduate
100%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
67%
State 36%
Of 100 students here: 41 are proficient by 11th grade → 100 graduate → 67 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.
The 6 things our score weighs
Graduation rate
100.0%
State 87.6%
12.4pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
16.7%
State 15.5%
1.2pp above state avg
College readiness
66.7%
State 35.5%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
40.9%
State 34.6%
6.3pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
25.8%
State 32.1%
6.3pp below state avg
Suspension rate
2.2%
State 4.0%
1.8pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
No feeder data available for this level
▼
High School
Ferndale High
62/100
This school
Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.
Your other options
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic22.1%
White71.0%
Black0.7%
Other6.2%
GenderFemale 46.2%Male 53.8%Non-binary 0.8%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
145
1,305 below CA avg (~1,450)
Free/Reduced Lunch
46%
18pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
12:1
9 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$23,606
District avg: $14,304 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
Teacher Salary Range
$48,765 – $90,131
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Ferndale High in Ferndale, 53.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Ferndale High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 12.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (20.0% Math proficient); White students (48.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 3.2 percentage points for white students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 15 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Math · Low-Income−10.3pp
20.0% vs 30.3% overall · n=15
2 more gaps by subject
ELA · White−3.2pp
48.3% vs 51.5% overall · n=29
Math Exceeded · Low-Income−12.1pp
0.0% vs 12.1% overall · n=15
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income15 tested
ELA 53.3%·Math 20.0%· +12.7pp vs district
White29 tested
ELA 48.3%·Math 34.5%· -6.6pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$73K
$12K below CA median
Median Home Value
$566K
$93K below CA median
Bachelor's+
30%
5pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
11.9 years avg experience
14 teachers · 14% first-year
Teacher Credentials
83% fully credentialed
AP Courses Offered
5 AP courses
8 students qualified via AP exam
Sources: CDE SARC · CDE College/Career Indicator, 2024-25
Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
For the data nerds
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
100.0%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 65th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
16.7%
↑ vs CA 15.5% · 51th pctile
College readiness · 20%
66.7%
↑ vs CA 35.5% · 68th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
40.9%
↑ vs CA 34.6% · 54th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
25.8%
↑ vs CA 32.1% · 55th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.2%
↑ vs CA 4.0% · 58th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 33 | 21% | 30% | 39% | 9% | 52% | +4 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 33 | 12% | 18% | 24% | 45% | 30% | +7 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 39 | 0% | 10% | 77% | 13% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 15 | 53.3% | +13 | +15 |
| White | 29 | 48.3% | −7 | −14 |
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferndale High ← | — | 62 | 16.7% | 40.9% | — | 2.2% |
| California average | — | 47 | 15.5% | 34.6% | — | 4.0% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
100.0%
AP Exam Prepared
66.7%
A-G Completion
25.9%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
78.3%
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #372 → #184 → #377 → #367 → #379
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,739 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is Ferndale High a good high school?
Ferndale High has a Scope Score of 62 out of 100, placing it in the 78th percentile of California high schools and ranked #379 statewide. 16.7% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is near the California average of 15.5%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for high schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Ferndale High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 40.9% of students at Ferndale High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 16.7% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 24.2% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 16.7% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 66 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Ferndale High rank in California?
Ferndale High ranks #379 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 78th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Ferndale High?
25.8% of students at Ferndale High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 32.1%. The suspension rate is 2.2%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Ferndale High compare to other schools in Ferndale?
Ferndale High scores 62/100 (78th percentile) among California high schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 145 students. Use the schools in Ferndale page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Ferndale High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Ferndale High in Ferndale, 53.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Ferndale High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 12.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (20.0% Math proficient); White students (48.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 3.2 percentage points for white students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 15 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.