Summary:
Zip code 83638 in McCall, Idaho is served by four public schools within the McCall-Donnelly Joint School District, which ranks 4th out of 101 Idaho districts with a 5-star rating. The schools include Barbara R Morgan Elementary (PK–5, 411 students), Payette Lakes Middle School (6–8, 331 students), McCall-Donnelly High School (9–12, 447 students), and Heartland High School (9–12, 29 students), with a total enrollment of about 1,218 students.
Every school with reported test scores beats the state average in all subjects. McCall-Donnelly High School leads the district in English Language Arts at 86.9% proficiency, 33 points above the state average, and has the lowest chronic absenteeism at 8.3%. Barbara R Morgan Elementary shines in math at 67.5% proficiency, with 3rd-grade math reaching 74.3%. Payette Lakes Middle School has ranked as high as 11th out of 166 Idaho middle schools (93rd percentile) and maintains strong ELA scores at 74.3%. Heartland High School is a decidedly different profile: only 29 students, a 55.2% free/reduced lunch rate, 44.4% chronic absenteeism, and no reported test scores—yet it also has the lowest student-teacher ratio (7.2) and highest per-student spending ($13,591), suggesting an alternative, intervention-focused model.
The district's 5-star rating masks some challenges. While McCall-Donnelly High School has strong academics, its state ranking fell from 7th in 2021-2022 to 58th in 2023-2024. Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide concern, at 27.3% for the elementary, 25.6% for the middle school, and 44.4% at Heartland, versus the 13.8% state average. Math proficiency also declines as students advance, from 67.5% in elementary to 57.6% in middle school and 46.7% in high school. On the other hand, ELA is a clear district strength, with every reported school above 72% proficiency.
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