Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

John J. Cairns Continuation

Public Grades 9-12

1888^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 13% of California high schools

Summary

John J. Cairns Continuation is a small continuation high school serving about 65 students in grades 9-12 within the Lindsay Unified district, designed to support students who have faced challenges in a traditional high school setting.

The school presents a complex picture: it achieves a perfect 100% graduation rate and has zero dropouts, successfully helping at-risk students earn diplomas, yet its students show very low proficiency on state tests, with 0% proficient in math. This is coupled with a severe chronic absenteeism rate of over 63%, meaning a majority of students miss significant instructional time. To serve its small population, the school operates with a very low student-teacher ratio of 10-to-1 and spends over $35,000 per student, which is substantially higher than nearby comprehensive high schools like Lindsay Senior High and Exeter Union High.

When compared to other schools in the area, the differences in mission and outcome are stark. While John J. Cairns excels at keeping students enrolled and graduating them, nearby schools like Harmony Magnet Academy achieve both high graduation rates and strong academic proficiency with lower per-student spending. This highlights that John J. Cairns serves a specific, critical role in the educational system focused on credit recovery and graduation for students needing an alternative path, rather than on college-preparatory academics.

Students ?

10.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$62,866

Per pupil spending ?

87.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

290 North Harvard Ave.
Lindsay, CA 93247-2304

(559) 562-5913

District: Lindsay Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

96.9%

White:

3.1%

See top rated California high schools

Compare John J. Cairns Continuation to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 14th percentile in 2013 → 13th in 2025

Strengths

✓100% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (9% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (63% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school9%

District avg35%

California avg41%

1,888^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 13%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 8% (2015) to bottom 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Lindsay Unified

950^th of 1,543Lindsay Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.8	1888 of 2162	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	1758 of 2159	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.5	1856 of 2170	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.0	1836 of 2123	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.0	1855 of 2133	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.3	1825 of 2017	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	9.0	1950 of 2021	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	10.9	1807 of 2039	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	10.1	1832 of 1994	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	9.9	2084 of 2426	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	9.6	2024 of 2354	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	7.4	2112 of 2367	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	10.1	2009 of 2281	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	14.6	1937 of 2238	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	8.1	1916 of 2117	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	13.0	1794 of 2063	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	10.9	1757 of 1968	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	9.3	1714 of 1901	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	11.7	1601 of 1653	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	26.9	982 of 1044	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.6	899 of 941	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.4	739 of 938	21.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.4	1663 of 1906	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	1695 of 1915	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.0	1636 of 1760	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.5	1620 of 1900	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.9	1535 of 1902	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.2	1643 of 1917	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.9	1595 of 1861	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.3	1532 of 1814	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.5	1532 of 1742	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	15.5	1683 of 2013	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.0	1635 of 2026	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.3	1701 of 2030	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.2	1695 of 1943	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.6	1685 of 1937	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.0	1655 of 1862	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.5	1726 of 1942	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.8	1516 of 1948	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.8	1664 of 1963	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.8	1767 of 1916	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.3	1656 of 1880	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.4	1670 of 1834	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)16th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)15th percentile~ school

Female (2025)13th percentile~ school

Male (2025)11th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2022)6th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy24%-25 vs state

Science4%-29 vs state

Mathematics0%-37 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate John J. Cairns Continuation and help other families decide.

Rate John J. Cairns Continuation

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near John J. Cairns Continuation

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
John J. Cairns Continuation	Public	9-12	290 North Harvard Ave.	Lindsay	93247	Tulare County	Lindsay Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 562-5913	65	6	10.0	87.7%	2 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (96.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12.8	1888^th of 2162 public high schools	12.7%		17	1758^th of 2159 public high schools	18.6%	130		4.0		3.6			24.0	24.0			0.0	0.0	$62,866	$58,692	$4,174
Lindsay Community Day	Public	7-12	270 North Harvard	Lindsay	93247	Tulare County	Lindsay Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 562-5913	14	1	14.0	78.6%	2 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (85.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													$27,850	$22,032	$5,818
Lindsay Senior High	Public	9-12	1849 East Tulare Rd.	Lindsay	93247	Tulare County	Lindsay Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 562-5911	1,132	57	19.8	86.1%	24 (2.1%)	5 (0.4%)	1,084 (95.8%)	10 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (0.8%)	70.2	597^th of 2162 public high schools	72.4%		54.6	892^nd of 2159 public high schools	58.7%	295		35.2		34.7			64.0	64.0			34.4	34.4	$30,625	$26,936	$3,689
Strathmore High	Public	9-12	22568 Avenue 196	Strathmore	93267	Tulare County	Porterville Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 568-1731	286	21	13.7	88.8%	26 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	255 (89.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	30	1483^rd of 2162 public high schools	31.4%		32.6	1434^th of 2159 public high schools	33.6%	49		15.6		15.2			38.5	38.5			12.8	12.8	$40,643	$39,474	$1,169
Harmony Magnet Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	19429 Road 228	Strathmore	93267	Tulare County	Porterville Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 568-0347	509	21	24.4	73.1%	97 (19.1%)	1 (0.2%)	373 (73.3%)	22 (4.3%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.4%)	95.1	94^th of 2162 public high schools	95.7%		95.9	91^st of 2159 public high schools	95.8%	3		64.2	46.4	55.7			90.2	90.2			51.6	51.6	$28,263	$27,204	$1,059
Kaweah High	Public	9-12	1107 E Rocky Hill Dr.	Exeter	93221	Tulare County	Exeter Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 592-4420	29	3	9.4	89.7%	8 (27.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (72.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32.6	1434^th of 2162 public high schools	33.7%		48.6	1036^th of 2159 public high schools	52.0%	398		8.3		12.0			20.8	20.8			33.3	33.3	$62,727	$60,918	$1,809
Exeter Union High	Public	9-12	505 Rocky Hill Dr.	Exeter	93221	Tulare County	Exeter Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 592-2127	909	38	24.0	65.6%	286 (31.5%)	3 (0.3%)	596 (65.6%)	12 (1.3%)	6 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.4%)	73.1	534^th of 2162 public high schools	75.3%		72.6	528^th of 2159 public high schools	75.5%	6		36.7		36.7			74.9	74.9			31.1	31.1	$27,904	$26,952	$952
Porterville Military Academy	Public, Charter	7-12	900 West Pioneer Ave.	Porterville	93257	Tulare County	Porterville Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 782-7300	255	17	15.3	90.2%	44 (17.3%)	2 (0.8%)	195 (76.5%)	6 (2.4%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.4%)	55.6	919^th of 2162 public high schools	57.5%		67.9	598^th of 2159 public high schools	72.3%	321	38.5	33.3		36.4	38.6	48.1	71.4	51.2	18.2	21.2	8.6	16.8	$39,341	$38,250	$1,091
Monache High	Public	9-12	960 North Newcomb St.	Porterville	93257	Tulare County	Porterville Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 782-7150	1,855	89	20.7	81.2%	225 (12.1%)	7 (0.4%)	1,475 (79.5%)	85 (4.6%)	15 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (2.6%)	54.1	945^th of 2162 public high schools	56.3%		60.6	751^st of 2159 public high schools	65.2%	194		28.7		28.6			57.9	57.9			21.0	21.0	$21,168	$20,074	$1,094
Vine Street Community Day	Public	7-12	645 North Prospect St.	Porterville	93257	Tulare County	Porterville Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 782-6650	14	1	9.7	85.7%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													$90,805	$89,774	$1,031

Frequently Asked Questions about John J. Cairns Continuation

What is the racial makeup of John J. Cairns Continuation?

Students at John J. Cairns Continuation are 97% Hispanic, 3% White.

How many students attend John J. Cairns Continuation?

In the 2024-25 school year, 65 students attended John J. Cairns Continuation.

Is John J. Cairns Continuation a good school?

John J. Cairns Continuation ranks in the bottom 12.7% of California high schools.

What district is John J. Cairns Continuation in?

Lindsay Unified

Rate John J. Cairns Continuation!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia High School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Lindsay, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for John J. Cairns Continuation!

Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.