McLane High

McLane High is a large public high school serving grades 9-12 to about 2,056 students in the Fresno Unified district, operating in a high-need community where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school presents a complex picture: it has a very strong 91.5% graduation rate that beats state and district averages, but it also faces a severe challenge with math proficiency, where only about 6% of students meet state standards—this is far below both the district and state averages and is a critical area of concern. In contrast, the school performs well in English Language Arts, outperforming the district. A major obstacle is chronic absenteeism, with about 39% of students missing significant school time, which is much higher than at nearby comprehensive schools like Roosevelt High and the exceptionally high-performing Erma Duncan Polytechnical High.

Comparisons to other local schools reveal that different models can yield different results; for instance, smaller themed schools like Design Science Middle College High and Phillip J Patino School of Entrepreneurship achieve higher academic rankings with similar student demographics. While McLane High is showing gradual improvement in its statewide ranking, significant gaps remain in core subjects like math and science, and performance varies widely among different student groups, indicating a need for targeted support strategies to ensure all students succeed.