Barbara R Morgan Elementary

Barbara R Morgan Elementary is a PK–5 public elementary school in McCall, Idaho, serving 411 students as part of the McCall-Donnelly Joint School District, one of Idaho's highest-ranked districts (4th out of 101). The school itself ranks 40th out of 346 Idaho elementary schools, earning 4 stars and placing it in the 88th percentile — a strong rebound from its 85th-place ranking in 2023–24. Math is the school's clear academic strength, with 67.5% of students proficient, well above both the state average (43.1%) and the district average (60.5%). English Language Arts proficiency is also solid at 72.2%, surpassing the state rate of 54% but trailing the district's 74.5%.

One area worth investigating is a notable dip in upper-elementary math. Proficiency drops from 74.3% in 3rd grade to 70.8% in 4th grade and then to 55.6% in 5th grade, which is even below the district's 5th-grade average of 57.8%. This may point to a transition challenge or curriculum gap as students move through the upper grades. Also worth noting: chronic absenteeism spiked to 27.3% in 2025–26 — nearly double the state rate of 13.8% and up sharply from 11.7% just two years earlier. Interestingly, Donnelly Elementary in the same district has a nearly identical rate (27.4%), suggesting this is a community-wide issue rather than a problem specific to this school.

Compared with nearby schools, Barbara R Morgan Elementary performs very well. It outpaces Donnelly Elementary in math (67.5% vs. 64.4%) and holds a higher statewide rank, while Donnelly Elementary has a slight edge in ELA (75.6% vs. 72.2%). Barbara R Morgan Elementary also serves a lower-poverty population (27.5% free or reduced-price lunch vs. 37.2% at Donnelly Elementary) despite having larger classes (16.2 vs. 12.7 student-teacher ratio). Against Mountain Community School, a small K–8 charter about 16 miles away, Barbara R Morgan Elementary is far ahead in both math (67.5% vs. 51.7%) and ELA (72.2% vs. 55.2%). Overall, this is a high-performing school with genuine strengths and a few areas worth monitoring.