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Public school district · California

McFarland Unified.Many schools. Many different stories.

Compare elementary, middle, and high schools across McFarland Unified—and look beyond a single district average.

McFarland High School Early CollegeHorizon ElementaryBrowning Road STEAM AcademyKern Avenue ElementarySan Joaquin High (Continuation)McFarland UnifiedN ↑
5 schools mapped · Location contextOpen map →
Census district boundary
The K–12 path at a glance
Elementary3 schools
avg 27.3/1002 Needs Support, 1 Developing
High2 schools
avg 33.5/1001 Solid, 1 Needs Support

Each level is scored on its own scale — elementary, middle, and high are never ranked against each other.

Stage 1 of 2

The elementary years

The elementary schools average 27.3/100 — 11.5 points below the state average. Here is what that number does and doesn't say.

0100
Strong Solid Developing Needs Support district avg state avg

3 elementary schools span 10 points around an average of 27.3.

The strength

Students are showing up: chronic absenteeism runs 6.3% against a state average of 17.9%.

The catch

2 of 3 elementary schools sit in the Needs Support band — which campus you're zoned for carries real weight here.

Horizon Elementary
Building Momentum
44th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 33/100
22nd percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 25/100
Kern Avenue Elementary
Building Momentum
17th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 23/100

Elementary school detail in the appendix →

Stage 2 of 2

The high school years

The path ends on a single bet: McFarland High School Early College at 55, then a 42-point drop to the next of 2 high schools.

0100

42 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 2 high schools — the average hides more than it tells.

1 continuation/alternative school not plotted — it ranks within its own class, not on this statewide axis.

The strength

McFarland High School Early College is the strongest option at 55/100 — 20.0% of its students exceed the state standard.

The catch

32.2% of students are chronically absent (state: 23.1%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.

55th percentile · SolidScope Score 55/100
9th percentile · Needs SupportWithin its own school classScope Score 12/100

High school detail in the appendix →

What it means for your family

If you're choosing a neighborhood

Compare schools at your child’s level before deciding on an address. The strongest attendance-zone candidate is Horizon Elementary at 33/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.

If you already live here

No charters or magnets among the ranked schools here, so the main lever is an intra-district transfer — California districts run them on their own windows and criteria. If your zoned school sits low in the appendix below, ask the district office for this year's dates.

If your kid is enrolled now

A band is a position, not a prophecy — a school's number can move without your kid's experience moving with it. Ask your school two questions: what happens for a kid who arrives behind, and what the classroom looks like for one who arrives ahead.

The strongest-scoring run through the district:

Horizon Elementary 44th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 33/100McFarland High School Early College 55th percentile · SolidScope Score 55/100

Top scorers at each level — not necessarily one zoned sequence. Confirm feeder patterns and enrollment zones with the district, and visit before you decide.

What this page can't see: whether a campus feels safe and glad at 8 a.m. If a path above looks workable, the next step is a visit.

McFarland Unified has 5 public schools in this SchoolScope results directory. Compare schools by their primary reporting level below.

2024–25 CAASPP reporting · SchoolScope analysis. Directory coverage, not a complete inventory of every campus. Each school appears at its primary reporting level; K–8 and K–12 campuses can serve additional grades. Sources and methodology →

One district, three stages

The average changes with the journey.

Elementary schools

Explore elementary →
Lower reported resultsHigher reported results

3 comparable schools · average 27.3/100 · range 23.2–33.4

High schools

Explore high →
Lower reported resultsHigher reported results

1 comparable schools · average 54.5/100 · range 54.5–54.5

Explore McFarland Unified by place.

Districts nearby

DistrictAverage scoreRanked schoolsTop schoolDistance
McFarland Unifiedthis district34.1 / 1004McFarland High School Early College—
Delano Joint Union High57.8 / 1003Cesar E. Chavez High6.6 mi
Delano Union Elementary41.4 / 10012La Vina Middle6.8 mi
Wasco Union Elementary23.9 / 1006Teresa Burke Elementary8.7 mi

Averages blend every school level in a district and carry no score band. Compare a level at a time in the spreads above, then open the schools. Distances run between school-location centers.

Cities served

City pages include schools from other districts too. Check the district named on each school profile.

Patterns across the district

What kinds of schools are here?

Patterns worth exploring.

Choose a pattern to find matching schools in the lists below. Open a profile to see the underlying measures and questions to ask on a visit.

How patterns are defined →

Archetypes describe reported patterns, not school quality or fit. Available measures differ by school level.

Schools in McFarland Unified

Browse by level, then compare the evidence behind each profile.

Map ↗

Elementary schools in McFarland Unified · 3 schools

CompareSchoolExceededScore
Horizon Elementary
McFarland Unified Building Momentum
12.4%44th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 33/100
Browning Road STEAM Academy
McFarland Unified Building Momentum
5.7%22nd percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 25/100
Kern Avenue Elementary
McFarland Unified Building Momentum
5.3%17th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 23/100

High schools in McFarland Unified · 2 schools

CompareSchoolExceededScore
McFarland High School Early College
McFarland Unified Building Momentum
20.0%55th percentile · SolidScope Score 55/100
San Joaquin High (Continuation)
McFarland Unified continuation high school
5.9%9th percentile · Needs SupportWithin its own school classScope Score 12/100
Compare selected schools

Select two to four schools at the same level. Rankings and score bands compare each school with its own enrollment group.

District finance · FY 2024–25

Where the district's dollars go.

McFarland Unified spent $20,151 per student in FY 2024–25 — close to the median California district ($20,491). About 58 cents of every dollar goes to classroom instruction.

Current expense per student

Current expense of education per unit of average daily attendance, from the district's annual SACS filing to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus. Spending is context, not a measure of school quality.

Share by function

  • Instruction58%
  • Instruction support8%
  • Student services15%
  • Administration7%
  • Buildings & maintenance10%
  • Other2%

Shares of the same current-expense total, by SACS function. Names are simplified from the filing's own categories.

The system behind the schools

The people behind the classrooms — district-grain context that never enters a school's score.

People
Teacher salary range$58,356–$109,333
Teaching staff155 · FTE
District enrollment3,445 · students
Who attends
Hispanic 96.8% · White 0.7% · Black 1.1% · Asian 1.0% · Other 0.4%
Free/reduced lunch87% · economic need indicator

CDE Form J-90 salary schedule 2024–25 · CDE enrollment (district averages)

See how the school years fit together.

Explore the next stage, then verify the schools available for your address.

These are browsing links, not a feeder path. Assignments vary by residence, program, permits, and available space.

Looking beyond McFarland Unified?

Explore public, private, and early-learning options.

Know what you’re comparing.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology

Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.

Source: CDE CAASPP 2025 · 5 schoolsMethodology · Download this data (CSV)

Free to download, CC BY 4.0 with attribution.

Frequently asked questions

How many schools are listed in McFarland Unified?
This SchoolScope directory lists 5 public schools in McFarland Unified with 2024–25 reporting records. This is directory coverage, not a complete campus inventory. Each school appears under its primary reporting level; a K–8 or K–12 campus may serve additional grades.
Which schools have the highest scores in McFarland Unified?
Among comprehensive public schools listed here, the highest Scope Score at each primary reporting level is: Elementary: Horizon Elementary (33/100). High: McFarland High School Early College (55/100). These are separate level rankings, not a single cross-level league table. A score does not establish fit or enrollment eligibility. See the methodology.
Can I compare elementary, middle, and high schools directly?
Compare schools at the same level and within the same enrollment group. Scope Score formulas and available measures differ by level. The plots show comprehensive public schools separately for each level; individual profiles explain their comparison group.
Does living in McFarland Unified guarantee a particular school?
A district outline does not establish assignment to an individual school. Attendance boundaries, programs, permits, and available space can affect enrollment. Confirm the requirements directly with the district.
What does a SchoolScope pattern mean?
Archetypes summarize patterns in publicly reported academic and school-climate measures. They describe reported results, not a school’s quality or a child’s fit. Open the school profile for reporting years, missing measures, and questions to ask. Read how the patterns are defined.
Where do these results come from?
The underlying public data comes from the California Department of Education, including CAASPP reporting for 2024–25. Scope Scores and archetypes are SchoolScope calculations, not official CDE ratings. View CDE data and SchoolScope’s methodology and limitations.