Location: Mckinleyville, CA
Are you a student or parent at Mckinleyville High School? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?
We've written the best guide to Mckinleyville High available. Here we'll cover:
- Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
- How safe Mckinleyville High is to attend
- SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by Mckinleyville High students
- Which AP/IB classes you can take at Mckinleyville High
- Every sports team you can join at Mckinleyville High
Let's get started!
Basic Information
Mckinleyville High School is a public school, supporting grades 9 to 12 . It's located in Mckinleyville, CA in Humboldt County.
Based on its location, Mckinleyville High is classified as a school in a remote town, or more than 35 miles from an urbanized area. Here's the location on a map:
Contact Information
Mailing address:
Mckinleyville High School1300 Murray Rd. Mckinleyville, CA 95519-3503
Phone number: 7078396400
Mckinleyville High School homepage: http://www.nohum.k12.ca.us/mhs
Principal: Roger MacdonaldEmail the principal: [email protected]
Student Demographics
Student Enrollment
The total enrollment at Mckinleyville High School is 614 students, making it a somewhat large high school, in the top half of all California high schools by size.
As a mid-sized high school, Mckinleyville High strikes the balance between size and comfort. There will be enough students to provide a diversity of experiences, like clubs and sports, for you to join. But it'll be small enough that you'll likely get to know most people in your class.
Growth in Student Body Size
Is Mckinleyville High School growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.
From our calculations, the enrollment at Mckinleyville High has increased over the past few years. We calculate this by comparing enrollment in grades 9 to 12.
| Male Students | Female Students | All Students | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th grade | 86 | 68 | 154 |
| 10th grade | 88 | 90 | 178 |
| 11th grade | 75 | 60 | 135 |
| 12th grade | 70 | 76 | 146 |
As you can see in the table above, the freshman class is 8 students larger than the senior class. This suggests that the school is growing in size and taking on more students.
There are a few reasons this could be happening. The city of Mckinleyville could be growing in population, thus sending more students into Mckinleyville High. Alternatively, Mckinleyville High could be relaxing its student policies and taking in more students.
Gender Split
Are there more boys or girls at Mckinleyville High School?
From our statistics, Mckinleyville High has a 53:47 split between male and female students in the high school grades.
Mckinleyville High has a balanced male-female ratio that's largely representative of the general population in Humboldt County. Since the student body is roughly half and half, it should feel like there are equal numbers of boys and girls in your classes.
This usually means that Mckinleyville High doesn't strongly select for either males or females, unlike other schools that have a large majority of males or females.
Ethnicity Breakdown
What's the racial diversity at Mckinleyville High School? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?
From our statistics, Mckinleyville High has a somewhat homogenous student body, with the majority of students identifying as one ethnicity, but not representing over 70% of the student body. Most schools in California fit this profile, so Mckinleyville High isn't out of the ordinary. Most students attending class with you will be of the predominant ethnicity, but there will be meaningful diversity from other races.
The majority of students at Mckinleyville High are white. In California, white students make up 26.3% of all California students, and are the second most common ethnicity after Hispanic students. Thus Mckinleyville High is one of hundreds of schools in the state that have a majority of white students.
| Percentage | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 9.1% | 56 |
| Asian | 0.9% | 6 |
| Hispanic | 7.8% | 48 |
| Black | 1.1% | 7 |
| White | 69.5% | 427 |
| Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander | 0.3% | 2 |
| Two or more races | 11.0% | 68 |
High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Mckinleyville. If you'd like to see how other nearby schools look in diversity, just google "[name of school] prepscholar" to find our guide to that specific school.
Income Level of Mckinleyville High Families
What are the family incomes of students at Mckinleyville High School? To determine this, we look at the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunches, a classification by the US federal government.
To qualify for a reduced price meal, family income needs to be below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $45,000 or below.
To qualify for a free meal, family income needs to be below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $32,000 or below.
The lower the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price meals, the higher the income levels are likely to be.
At Mckinleyville High, 6.3% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 22.8% qualify for free lunches.
This means Mckinleyville High has a low poverty level. The overwhelming majority of students at Mckinleyville High don't qualify for free or reduced price lunches. Mckinleyville is thus likely to be an affluent community, with quite high family incomes.
| Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced-price lunches | 39 | 6.3% |
| Free lunches | 140 | 22.8% |
| Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches | 435 | 70.8% |
As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in Mckinleyville and doesn't speak much about the school itself.
Because Mckinleyville High is in the top quartile of schools by family income, it's likely to be well-funded relative to other high schools in California. This means you'll likely have access to advanced coursework like AP/IB classes and better-funded extracurriculars and sports.
It's still up to you, though, to take advantage of the resources Mckinleyville High has to offer. If you work hard and spend your time effectively, you'll likely be well positioned to succeed in college and beyond.
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
School Safety
How safe is Mckinleyville High School to attend? Can you expect a lot of conflict as a student here?
To study this, we look at disciplinary data for two types of incidents at Mckinleyville High: referrals to law enforcement (when incidents are reported to police), and arrests.
These are the most serious disciplinary actions available to school administration and are more severe than suspensions or expulsions. Suspensions are often discretionary and can be given just for being disruptive in class. In contrast, law enforcement referrals and arrests often indicate incidents that put the safety of other Mckinleyville High students at risk.
In the school year of 2011-2012, there were 0 referrals to law enforcement, and 8 school-related arrests (6 males, 2 females). This is out of a total enrollment of 611 students.
To put this into perspective, most California schools (59% of them) reported 0 law enforcement referrals and arrests.
This means that 1.3 Mckinleyville High has minor safety issues. For every 100 students, there were just 1.3 law-enforcement related actions, but this is still higher than 75% of California schools.
With this record, is Mckinleyville High School significantly different from other schools in the area? It could be that Mckinleyville High has an especially bad record, or it could be that the local area shows a pattern.
Compare this school with other high schools in the same school district, using the following table:
Northern Humboldt Union High School District Safety
| School Name | Total Referred | Total Arrests | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcata High | 11 | 2 | 826 |
| Pacific Coast High (continuation) | 2 | 0 | 40 |
| Tsurai High (continuation) | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| Northern Humboldt Community Day | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Six Rivers Charter High | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Laurel Tree Charter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Academic Performance
Now we get to a major aspect of assessing a high school: academic performance. How good of an education will you get at Mckinleyville High School? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?
We've compiled everything we could find about Mckinleyville High's academics here.
Standardized Testing
Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for Mckinleyville High School students. These are tests that are administered to large populations of students for comparison purposes.
Let’s start by taking a look at the data for nationally administered standardized tests.
SAT Scores
As you probably know, the SAT is a critical test used for college admissions. The higher the score you get, the better your academic performance compared to students nationwide, and the easier it is to get into top colleges.
We did in-depth research and found the average Mckinleyville High School SAT scores.
The average composite SAT score is a 1500 out of 2400, compared to a national average of 1500. Each year, roughly 81 at Mckinleyville High take the SAT.
This is an average SAT score, putting Mckinleyville High School right around the national average. Because the SAT measures academic achievement, this suggests that Mckinleyville High will offer a fairly standard high school education, neither strongly lacking or outperforming.
Note, however, that this is just an average - the top students can still exceed the average significantly. If you can rise far above your school average, you'll have a great shot at entering a strong college.
Here's a breakdown of SAT scores by section:
Average SAT Scores (2013-2014)
| Source | Critical Reading | Math | Writing | Composite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mckinleyville High | 508 | 506 | 489 | 1500 |
| California | 498 | 510 | 496 | 1504 |
| United States | 495 | 511 | 484 | 1490 |
Note that the SAT has since changed to a 1600 scale, but the trends above for your high school are likely to continue. Just use this guide to convert between the old 2400 scale and the new 1600 scale.
To learn more about SAT percentile rankings, read our guide on what SAT percentiles really mean.
How good is 1500 as an SAT score? Find out with our complete 1500 SAT score guide, including which colleges you can get into with a 1500 or any other SAT score!
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
Advanced Placement (AP)
Advanced Placement (AP) classes are college-level courses that are an additional academic challenge may give Mckinleyville High School students credit for college.
Here's what we're looking for: high average AP test scores as well as high AP passing rates.
AP Scores
Every year, roughly 42 students in grades 9-12 at Mckinleyville High take 59 AP exams. It's important to understand how students score on the AP - earning a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP test means passing the test and often earning college credit.
The average score of all AP exams taken at Mckinleyville High is 2.7 out of 5.
This score puts Mckinleyville High at average performance. For AP tests, the passing score is considered a 3, and the number of students who pass and don't pass are roughly even. This performance places Mckinleyville High School in the top 50% of schools for AP tests.
It's great that Mckinleyville High offers an AP program so you have the opportunity to take courses at a college level. Even though roughly half of all AP students here don't get a passing grade, half do - so with motivated studying throughout the year, you'll be able to beat the average.
We have specific data on how many students got a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 (out of 5) on AP exams in the chart below:
To find out the passing rates for specific AP courses at Mckinleyville High School, you'll have to talk to your guidance counselor (who can then help you find that information). For instance, one AP Calculus teacher may have an above-90% passing rate, while another might only have a 50% passing rate. If you can, you'll want to take the class with the teacher who has more students get a 3 or above on the AP exam.
Find out more about the average score for each AP subject here.
State Tests
As of 2014, eleventh graders attending Mckinleyville High School must take standardized tests in English/Language Arts and Math as part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). These align with the new Common Core standards and are called the "Smarter Balanced" tests.
If Mckinleyville High students meet or exceed state standards, they're academically prepared to graduate high school and go to college. Specifically, we care about the percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards. The larger this number, the higher the preparation of students at Mckinleyville High.
English/Language Arts
At Mckinleyville High School, 75% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.
This is considered good and puts Mckinleyville High in the top 25% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. Most Mckinleyville High students pass or exceed state standards, though there is also a sizable portion of students who fail to meet state standards.
English/Language Arts Test Results (2015)
Read more about what’s measured in each ELA area score here.
Math
The other major test taken for state assessments is Math. Across the state, Math performance is generally lower than English/Language Arts performance, so it's natural for this number to be lower.
At Mckinleyville High School, 34% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts Mckinleyville High in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of Mckinleyville High students don't meet state standards, and only a small percentage pass.
Math Test Results (2015)
Read more about what’s measured in each Math area score, go here.
Academic Offerings
In addition to the standard high school curriculum, many high schools like Mckinleyville High School offer advanced coursework as part of the Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.
Brief Intro to AP/IB
AP and IB courses are designed at the difficulty level of college introductory classes. There are several important benefits to taking advanced coursework at Mckinleyville High. First, taking more advanced classes shows colleges that you're committed to challenging yourself academically, and that you're one of the more advanced students at Mckinleyville High. Taking AP/IB classes also raises your weighted GPA and makes you a stronger college applicant.
Furthermore, many colleges will accept your Mckinleyville High AP/IB coursework as college coursework. In some cases, you'll be able to skip introductory-level classes and move to more advanced classes. In other cases, you'll be able to avoid having to take required courses and might even be able to graduate earlier than the standard 4 years. Often this will require you to pass the AP test, getting a score of 3 or above.
So what advanced courses does Mckinleyville High School offer?
AP Courses
Mckinleyville High School offers AP courses in 7 subjects.
This is a relatively low number of AP subjects, putting Mckinleyville High School in the bottom 50% of California schools offering AP courses. You'll likely be able to take the most popular courses like Calculus, English, and US History, but you won't have most other subjects available.
The total number of AP subjects is 38, so Mckinleyville High is missing most. If you want to take any AP courses not being offered at Mckinleyville High, ask your counselor for ideas on how to cover the gap. If you're a strong student, you might consider transferring schools to access a more advanced curriculum.
Of course, keep in mind that even though Mckinleyville High doesn't offer many AP courses, it might teach the ones it does offer quite well. You can see student performance in the AP score analysis section above.
The following AP courses were offered at Mckinleyville High during 2015-2016:
| Course Title |
|---|
| Calculus AB |
| Calculus BC |
| English Language and Composition |
| European History |
| Studio Art: 2-D Design |
| Studio Art: 3-D Design |
| Studio Art: Drawing |
IB Courses
The International Baccalaureate program is less popular in the United States than the Advanced Placement program (there are around 850 diploma schools in the country and 100 in California). But Mckinleyville High School is one of the lucky few to have an IB program!
For college application purposes, the IB and AP programs are basically equivalent. So don't worry about being advantaged or disadvantaged either way if you participate in IB vs AP. What colleges care about first is academic achievement, and AP and IB classes are seen as equally challenging.
Mckinleyville High School has been an IB school since 2/16/04. Questions about the IB program at Mckinleyville High? You can contact the IB Diploma Programme coordinator, Ms Melanie Susavilla, by phone at 7078396400.
The following IB courses were offered at Mckinleyville High during 2015-2016:
| Course Title | HL/SL |
|---|---|
| Spanish B | HL + SL |
| Physics | HL + SL |
| Mathematical studies | SL |
| Chemistry | HL + SL |
| Theory of Knowledge | |
| French B | HL + SL |
| English A Literature | HL + SL |
| Mathematics | HL + SL |
| History | HL + SL |
| Visual Arts | |
| Theatre |
You can find out more about the IB testing schedule by going here.
We've also written the best study and test guides to International Baccalaureate.
Sports Teams
Finally, we'll cover which sports teams are available at Mckinleyville High School. Sports are an integral part of many students' high school experiences. The more sports that are available, and the more levels supported (Frosh, JV, Varsity), the more likely you'll be able to participate in a sport at Mckinleyville High.
By the way, the Mckinleyville High mascot is the Panthers. Go Panthers!
Mckinleyville High School fields 10 teams for girls' sports. This is a relatively number that puts Mckinleyville High in the bottom 50% of California schools that offer girls' sports. This is understandable - sports teams are expensive to support, and many schools would rather put those resources elsewhere. If you participate in a sport that Mckinleyville High doesn't offer, consider joining a local non-school team to get practice and compete.
And now for the boys: Mckinleyville High School fields 10 teams for boys' sports. This relatively number puts Mckinleyville High in the bottom 50% of California schools that offer boys' sports. Sports teams are expensive to support, and Mckinleyville High may not be able to offer the full range of options. If you participate in a sport that Mckinleyville High doesn't offer, consider joining a local non-school team to get practice and compete.
| Boys Teams | Girls Teams |
|---|---|
| Basketball
Var
JV
Fr
|
Basketball
Var
JV
Fr
|
| Golf
Var
|
|
| Tennis
Var
|
Tennis
Var
|
| Football
Var
JV
|
|
| Wrestling
Var
|
|
| Volleyball
Var
|
|
| Baseball
Var
|
|
| Softball
Var
JV
|
|
| Waterpolo
Var
|
Waterpolo
Var
|
| Soccer
Var
|
Soccer
Var
|
What’s Next?
Want to get more useful information about high school classes and preparing for colleges? Our blog has a ton of articles and advice on topics ranging from coursework and GPA to letters of recommendation, extracurriculars, and much more!
Ready to bulk up your schedule and maximize your college preparedness? Read all about the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.
Not quite in high school yet, but eager to get started? We've also got information for younger students interested in advanced learning opportunities, both in and out of school.
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Sources
The data on this page is drawn from a variety of sources, including (but not limited to):
- National Center for Educational Statistics CCD 2013-2014
- "Free or reduced price lunch: A proxy for poverty?", NCES Blog
- CRDC 2011-2012 school year data
- California Department of Education SAT, ACT, and AP Test Results
- California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System Results
- AP Course Ledger
- IBO.org