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Public school district · California

Reef-Sunset Unified.Many schools. Many different stories.

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

Avenal HighAvenal ElementarySunrise Continuation HighReef Sunset MiddleKettleman City ElementaryTamarack ElementaryReef-Sunset UnifiedN ↑
6 schools mapped · Location contextOpen map →
Census district boundary
The K–12 path at a glance
Elementary3 schools
avg 21.1/1002 Needs Support, 1 Developing
Middle1 school
avg 20.9/1001 Needs Support
High2 schools
avg 31.9/1001 Developing, 1 Needs Support

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

Stage 1 of 3

The elementary years

26 points separate Avenal Elementary (34) from Tamarack Elementary (9) — at this level, which school matters more than which district.

0100
Strong Solid Developing Needs Support district avg state avg

3 elementary schools span 26 points around an average of 21.1.

The strength

1 of the 2 elementary schools with measurable cohort evidence meet the stronger cohort-gains threshold — aggregate cohort-change indices above the published threshold.

The catch

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

Avenal Elementary
Growth Engine
46th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 34/100
Kettleman City Elementary
No highlighted pattern
10th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 20/100
Tamarack Elementary
No highlighted pattern
bottom percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 9/100

Elementary school detail in the appendix →

Stage 2 of 3

The middle years

One middle school: Reef Sunset Middle at 21/100 — the whole story at this level is one campus.

0100

One dot, one school — there is no spread to read at this level.

The strength

Students are showing up: chronic absenteeism runs 14.4% against a state average of 18.1%.

The catch

1 of 1 middle schools sits in the Needs Support band — which campus you're zoned for carries real weight here.

Reef Sunset Middle
No highlighted pattern
14th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 21/100

Middle school detail in the appendix →

Stage 3 of 3

The high school years

The path ends on a single bet: Avenal High at 42, then a 21-point drop to the next of 2 high schools.

0100

2 high schools span 21 points around an average of 31.9.

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

The strength

Avenal High is the strongest option at 42/100 — 8.0% of its students exceed the state standard.

The catch

31.0% 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.

Avenal High
No highlighted pattern
18th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 42/100
Sunrise Continuation High
No highlighted pattern
37th percentile · DevelopingWithin its own school classScope Score 22/100

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 Avenal Elementary at 34/100 — 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 — 1 campus here ranks as Growth Engine, its aggregate cohort-change indices above the published threshold. 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:

Avenal Elementary 46th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 34/100Reef Sunset Middle 14th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 21/100Avenal High 18th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 42/100

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.

Reef-Sunset Unified has 6 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 21.1/100 · range 8.8–34.3

Middle schools

Explore middle →
Lower reported resultsHigher reported results

1 comparable schools · average 20.9/100 · range 20.9–20.9

High schools

Explore high →
Lower reported resultsHigher reported results

1 comparable schools · average 42.3/100 · range 42.3–42.3

Explore Reef-Sunset Unified by place.

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

Patterns across the district

What patterns appear 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 →

A school can appear in more than one count. Findings describe reported results, not school quality or fit; available evidence differs by level.

Schools in Reef-Sunset Unified

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

Map ↗

Elementary schools in Reef-Sunset Unified · 3 schools

CompareSchoolExceededScore
Avenal Elementary
Reef-Sunset Unified Growth Engine
5.1%46th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 34/100
Kettleman City Elementary
Reef-Sunset Unified
6.0%10th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 20/100
Tamarack Elementary
Reef-Sunset Unified
1.6%bottom percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 9/100

Middle schools in Reef-Sunset Unified · 1 schools

CompareSchoolExceededScore
Reef Sunset Middle
Reef-Sunset Unified
2.3%14th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 21/100

High schools in Reef-Sunset Unified · 2 schools

CompareSchoolExceededScore
Avenal High
Reef-Sunset Unified
8.0%18th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 42/100
Sunrise Continuation High
Reef-Sunset Unified continuation high school
0.0%37th percentile · DevelopingWithin its own school classScope Score 22/100
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.

Reef-Sunset Unified spent $21,924 per student in FY 2024–25 — close to the median California district ($20,491). About 54 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

  • Instruction54%
  • Instruction support13%
  • Student services9%
  • Administration8%
  • Buildings & maintenance15%
  • Other1%

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$61,616–$138,513
Teaching staff151 · FTE
District enrollment2,728 · students
Who attends
Hispanic 98.2% · White 1.0% · Black 0.0% · Asian 0.7% · Other 0.1%
Free/reduced lunch96% · 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 Reef-Sunset 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 · 6 schoolsMethodology · Download this data (CSV)

Free to download, CC BY 4.0 with attribution.

Frequently asked questions

How many schools are listed in Reef-Sunset Unified?
This SchoolScope directory lists 6 public schools in Reef-Sunset 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 Reef-Sunset Unified?
Among comprehensive public schools listed here, the highest Scope Score at each primary reporting level is: Elementary: Avenal Elementary (34/100). Middle: Reef Sunset Middle (21/100). High: Avenal High (42/100). 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 Reef-Sunset 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.