Best Public Schools in McCall, ID

McCall, Idaho, a small mountain resort community, is served by the McCall-Donnelly Joint School District, which operates four public schools — McCall-Donnelly High School, Barbara R Morgan Elementary, Payette Lakes Middle School, and Heartland High School — together enrolling roughly 1,218 students across grades PK–12.

The district is one of Idaho's best, ranking #4 out of 101 districts with a 5-star rating, and most schools beat state averages by wide margins. McCall-Donnelly High School, the largest school with 447 students, leads the district in ELA (86.9% proficient vs. 53.9% statewide) and science (67.6% vs. 42.6%), and has remarkably low chronic absenteeism at just 8.3%. However, its math proficiency of 46.7% barely clears the state average and trails the district average of 62.8%, making math its clear weak spot.

Barbara R Morgan Elementary and Payette Lakes Middle School also deliver strong academics. The elementary school ranks 40th of 346 Idaho elementary schools (4 stars) with 72.2% ELA and 67.5% math proficiency. The middle school ranks 24th of 174 (4 stars) with 74.3% ELA proficiency but 57.6% math. Both schools show a concerning math decline as students advance — for example, Barbara R Morgan drops from 74.3% math in 3rd grade to 55.6% in 5th grade, and Payette Lakes drops from 64.7% in 7th grade to 47.6% in 8th grade. Chronic absenteeism is elevated at both schools (27.3% and 25.6%, respectively) compared to the 13.8% state rate.

Heartland High School serves a distinctly different population. With only 29 students, it has the district's highest poverty rate (55.17% free/reduced lunch), highest chronic absenteeism (44.4%), and no reported state test scores — characteristics of an alternative or credit-recovery model. It also spends the most per student ($13,591) and maintains the smallest class sizes (7.2-to-1 student-teacher ratio). Notably, all graduation rates in the district mirror the state at 82.5%. For parents, McCall offers a top-tier district with excellent ELA and science outcomes, but watch math proficiency in the middle grades and absenteeism at the elementary, middle, and alternative high school levels.