Burney Elementary, Burney CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Burney Elementary

Burney Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in the small mountain town of Burney in eastern Shasta County. The school enrolls a modest student body drawn from the broader unincorporated area, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the area's economic profile. The student body is predominantly white, with a meaningful share of American Indian and Alaska Native students and a smaller Hispanic population; specific counts for English learners and students with IEPs were not available.

The school's recent state test results show attainment in the lower range. Across third through sixth grades tested in English Language Arts and math through the CAASPP, and fifth grade in science through the California Science Test, proficiency rates cluster below the midpoint. Third-grade ELA and math proficiency each fell below one-fifth of students, while fourth-grade ELA approached lower-mid range and math stayed closer to one-third. Fifth and sixth grades performed somewhat better, with sixth-grade ELA reaching the higher end of the school's ranges, yet overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places Burney Elementary below the midpoint relative to other school sites in Shasta County's district universe. The school's overall proficiency index is below the county median. No prior years' data are available to show growth trajectory. Science results from fifth grade alone appear moderate. A parent may want to ask the school directly about academic supports, intervention programs, and any recent instructional changes intended to strengthen achievement.

Burney sits in a quiet, residential mountain setting at elevation with a four-season climate and a retiree-heavy population mixed with families. The town has a small commercial core but limited nightlife and short to no commute for those who work locally. The Fall River Joint Unified School District, which operates Burney Elementary, is headquartered in Burney and serves a geographically dispersed rural area spanning Burney, Fall River Mills, and McArthur. The district faces significant financial pressure: a pending deficit equivalent to a large portion of its annual budget, driven by declining enrollment and the end of federal COVID relief, has prompted cuts to transportation, technology, and curriculum. Additionally, the school board has been considering consolidation of some district schools, primarily to address staffing shortages. These developments are worth monitoring if you are considering a move into the area, as they may affect which schools operate, which routes are served, and which programs remain available.

Housing in Burney is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks. The median home value hovers modestly above national median home values, reflecting a stock dominated by older bungalows and ranch homes built from the 1930s through the 1980s alongside manufactured housing. A significant recent addition to the housing landscape is Burney Commons, a new affordable apartment complex that opened in late 2023 in the town center, built with substantial state funding as the first disaster-recovery affordable housing project completed in Shasta County after the 2018 Carr Fire. The broader population has been flat to slightly declining, and the local job market is small and contracting, concentrated in health care, retail, and resource extraction. The school district itself is also a meaningful local employer.

Burney Elementary offers a plain-vanilla regular public school program within a district stretched by budget and staffing constraints. Kindergarten enrollment is slightly larger, with progressively smaller cohorts in the primary and upper elementary grades, reflecting the overall enrollment decline the district faces. If you are exploring the area, the combination of lower current achievement levels, a district in the midst of budget retrenchment and potential restructuring, and a declining local job market are worth weighing carefully against the town's quieter pace and affordability.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 319%

School 19% · District 29% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 37%

even with state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 29% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 641%

School 41% · District 34% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 319%

School 19% · District 33% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 44% · ▼ 1 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 35% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 649%

School 49% · District 54% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Science

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 36% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

This schoolFall River Joint Unified, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income16%Higher-income24%7 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income39%5 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income18%Higher-income47%29 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income42%Higher-income60%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income19%Higher-income18%2 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income46%13 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income23%Higher-income33%11 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income60%31 pp gap