Stanwood A. Murphy Elementary

Stanwood A. Murphy Elementary is one of the compact primary schools in Scotia, California, operated by Scotia Union Elementary, with 187 students on its rolls from grades K through 8. By comparison, California's public schools average about 465 students each, so Stanwood A. Murphy Elementary sits 60% leaner than that benchmark.

Scotia Union Elementary is the operating authority for Stanwood A. Murphy Elementary, handling staffing, calendars, and reporting to the state department of education.

Demographically, Stanwood A. Murphy Elementary lists that the largest single group is White, at 65% of enrollment. The remainder consists of 16% Hispanic, 16% multiracial, 4% Native American.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 11 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 17.5:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 22.3:1, putting Stanwood A. Murphy Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 72% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is above Humboldt County's rate of about 60%.

After controlling for student poverty, Stanwood A. Murphy Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 36.5%; this one delivers 44.3%.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Humboldt County put the typical household earns roughly $61,160 per year, roughly 33% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. In all, Humboldt County runs 92 public schools (combined enrollment of about 17,319 students), of which Stanwood A. Murphy Elementary is one.

Monument Middle is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.4 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 4 other public schools. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Stanwood A. Murphy Elementary ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 35.2%.

The campus sits in a small-town setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 3%: 192 students in 2018 compared to 187 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 70% to 65% across the same window. Class-load math has tightened: from 21.3:1 in 2018 to 17.5:1 in 2025.

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