McPherson Magnet School

333 South Prospect Street

School District

Orange Unified
Grade

K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:25
Type

public

School Map for Orange Unified School District

GreatSchools Rating

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on August 04, 2023

It's been 2 years moved my kids to this school.. so much big difference for how much my kids learning from previous school.
Submitted by other on April 19, 2023

McPherson Magnet is a phenomenal school! I recently graduated from McPherson Magnet school on the year of 2022. Missed McPherson dearly! I joined McPherson during 7th grade and enjoyed being there my middle school years. Everyone in my grade I knew was kind, but drama did happen once in a while, but not too major. Teachers were very kind, including Mrs. Conrad, Duncan and Palucki!! If I could be honest, we have this PE teacher who is really nice and is not a harsh PE teacher. Some teachers could be a bit harsh, as rules were really enforced here. For example, if you brought a toy weapon (nerf gun), one of the teachers would call Orange PD on you, but I'm not sure if this is the case as now. I felt it was a bit harsh to call the police, but it could be good for the school to make sure that nothing bad intact to the school. There was also this one time when our teacher said the N word multiple times and lectured us on this when someone wrote a variation during a name tag day. It was his way of saying "we do not condone this," however it was not a good way to teach us and offended some people of color. Overall, most of teachers in the middle school department is great. I currently have 2 siblings who attend McPherson as 3rd graders, and they have such a positive experience with their teachers and school. It is great that they have been having a great experience. Most students at McPherson were motivated and wanting to do work, but there were some lackers, not like the half demographic was not dedicating to get good grades school, which is usual for schools. Most of the people I have met during my years were the kindest, and during my years I've met the best people in the world there. Leadership is not the best, as some students who were in our ASB/Leadership program just joined for a free period and did not want to be involved with the school, which I saw as one of the biggest issues at McPherson. Admin could improve a bit, as they didn't really take care of a few issues when it was brought up to them. Homework was okay, they give us a lot of homework, but it was not an excessive amount of homework. Homework is hugely enforced at McPherson. They said it was to "prepare you for High School," which is totally true, because high school was an easy transition for me. McPherson has some great programs, including PLTW, Robotics, and STEM that make our school a Magnet School. It is the students that make the school great! :D
Submitted by student on December 06, 2022

SafteyThis school is not safe for black students or Asians. The students here discriminate against them 100%. They will make very racist comments toward those students and leave and laugh. In English, they are currently reading a serious book called the roll of thunder and the student will make fun of it and some cases saying are you going to burn me as well. Not recommended at allSpecial educationIf your child has a disability then I don't suggest that they come here. The are a few kids that are disabled or autistic some would call them and they are made fun of and told that they are ugly on multiple accounts. It's not a safe environment for those types of student
Submitted by student on August 17, 2020

To be honest, the campus and learning was actually nice overall, you learn new things everyday, and the campus even has a small petting zoo with bunnies there. But the students there are not the nicest and have very snooty groups.
Submitted by parent on September 14, 2019

McPherson is an AMAZING school with outstanding teachers!
Submitted by student on August 30, 2019

My experience at this school was bad because some of the teachers clearly had favorites, they didn't deal with bullying, and they just throw kids into a 'special help class' when they don't need it. Most of the kids are toxic, rude, and mean. The girls exclude others from their cliques and conversations. A few teachers only care about their job, and not the actual students.
Submitted by parent on June 25, 2019

It is obvious that the administrators are still new. No wonder the bullying at school is out of control. The school district need to keep an eye on the principal, especially the assistant principal at McPherson. It is encouraged that they need to take workshops on how to handle bullying. They need to take a class on positive behavior support/assessment.
Submitted by parent on June 25, 2019

The school has a different perspective on what "leadership" means. A group of clique girls pretended to be heroes by doing the right thing yet, made up mostly fictional and exaggerated statements about other girls and could have put families in potential jeopardy. It is concerning that these girls think its ok to circulate wild stories about other people. Some people may say – that’s middle school, but, the amount of drama in this circle was high and the problem was compounded when it was handled poorly by the vice principal. Some of the vocabulary choice used may allow for one to question, how did these kids learn these words or concepts in the first place? This group of girls have a lot of maturing to do, and maybe one day may fully appreciate the extent of their actions. These actions directly bullied children and indirectly bullied families.
Submitted by student on June 02, 2019

My experience at this school was amazing, they give you the opportunity to learn all you need to know to get through and more, also, there are opportunities to make the best of what you have there and they also give you the opportunity to make so many friends and memories for you to even think about them when you are an adult. That school pulled me through some hard times, not just by forgetting myself in the learning, but also by the friends and teachers with all of their good vibes and optimism pulled me through when I thought I couldn't. The teachers have the utmost respect in the students and also, in some cases, become friends with the teachers there.
Submitted by principal on December 10, 2018

McPherson Magnet has exceptional program. I appreciate all of the hands-on science/STEM and the after school clubs: VEX Robotics, Femineers and CSTEM.
Submitted by parent on March 24, 2017

So far, Mcpherson has been a great experience for our child. Our child is a bit more introverted so the right environment is very important to us. Our child is able to develop leadership and life skills in a safe and attentive environment. Lastly, because this is a magnet school, the parent engagement appears higher than a typical neighborhood school which also leads to a great learning environment.
Submitted by parent on March 22, 2017

Our families' experience here has been mixed over the years. It depends on which teacher you get and the school administration. It appears that the recent administration has been able to curb some of "influential donating" that appeared to be going on several years ago. I do not think the school does enough to support weaker students and it would be very easy for a child to fall through the cracks here. The school's main focus is on the student that is self motivated and can keep up with the sometimes heavy workload. The school's technology program is well developed and appears to be beyond what I hear other parents' children's school offer. This isn't the best school for every child and if your child will require "extra" help or struggles, this probably isn't the right school for him. Also, the traffic through and around the parking lots during morning drop-off is horribly mismanaged; it only a matter of time before someone is hurt at the school because of it.
Submitted by parent on March 21, 2017

McPherson Magnet School is a wonderful school and great learning environment for my son. From the principal to the teachers and staff, mostly everyone has been caring and supportive of the children. The principal here is great; he has a hands-on approach with the kids. I regularly see him helping direct the kids through traffic during pick-up. He's very visible and approachable. Whenever I call the staff with questions, they are quick to assist me. The teachers really emphasize the "technology" aspect here. They are good with emails and are responsive. The STEM portion of the school is top-notch! Just this year they had a STEM lab built for all the students. Even children in kindergarten have regular visits to the lab. STEM lab day is my son's favorite day. The downside is for parents who don't have time to volunteer often at the school. McPherson is big on volunteering and sometimes parents can feel isolated. Also, class sizes are large but I feel that is to be expected for a public school. My son is thriving at this school and I am so thankful that he was selected in the lottery to join the school. I have no regrets.
Submitted by parent on September 12, 2016

I was so excited when my Child had been picked for the lottery to attend McPherson. I will round so say it's the biggest educational mistake I've made in his life. And his kindergarten class of 30 students only 11 remain at the school. The education for it being magnet school is subpar. The technology, or lack there of, is astounding. It has had years of inefficient, and Inept administrators Who are completely overrun by a group of domineering parents. The more money you donate to the school the more buying power you have. In addition to over involvement of parents, there is a pervasive bullying problem. So many parents and went to school with a false sense of what the school is.
Submitted by other on August 13, 2014

I recently graduated from McPherson(I cried tons), and I loved it! Parents if you don't want to have to work with your child so they can succeed at such a family oriented school, McPherson is not for you. I've heard people say that once they were not volunteering as much, they were given "worse" teachers or weren't treated as well as other families. A) there aren't really better teachers, some are more strict than others. But I noticed looking back all of them cared about me equally. The year I had my toughest teacher I completely changed my work ethic, graduated with honors ,and I was in ASB. B) If you feel like your student is being placed in a more strict classroom it is probably because you have become busier and haven't had much time to work with them. Resulting in them working more on their own, so they need more guidance at school. C) It's crazy to think you're being treated differently, obviously you are going to interact less with people there if you are not volunteering. It's hard to keep up a relationship with someone if you don't talk to them. I enjoyed my time being a McPherson Meteor. There is no doubt I will go to the carnivals, and I will definitely be visiting.
Submitted by other on June 13, 2014

Despite the horrible bathrooms and small campus, McPherson gives a lot to the students. Many of the teachers personally care for students and are willing to help with any situation. The office staff is super friendly and helps out on any case. Yes, some years stood out more than others, but sticking around to the end granted so many memories and great opportunities only McPherson offers. The science program gives so many unique opportunities that not many kids at other schools are given. Laptop program prepares students once you step into the 21st century. Little Buddies give both the little Buddy and Bug Buddy memories that last a lifetime. I don't know why anyone would not want to come here.
Submitted by parent on May 20, 2014

So relieved my child will no longer attend this school after this year. My family has watched this school go downhill for years. We were here with our older child when it was good. The few good teachers are reserved for the parents who are friends with them and the principal. Before my wife went back to work, she was able to volunteer a lot and helped the teachers do their job and our daughter always got the "best" teachers. That ended when she had to return to work. Bringing back a former vice principal won't fix things when he did nothing when he was there to make things better. Families are constantly shook down to make donations which is hard for some of us who are working hard and just getting by. The 6th grade program is a nightmare and parents have complained for years and they are just now talking about making it better. For the few teachers who were good, we are grateful, but my daughter had more that were not good and we regret sticking it out for so long. We will be moving her out of the district for high school. I wish the good teachers well but the rest should wake up and realize they are lucky to have a a well paying job and stop complaining.
Submitted by parent on April 11, 2014

Great school. I agree with previous review.My son started kinder and graduates 2014 from 8th grade. McPherson number one in the state.
Submitted by parent on April 10, 2014

Every school has it pros and cons. McPherson Magnet has a lot of PROs. My child has been there since Kinder and is ready to graduate. There are quality teachers and a lot of them have been awarded Teacher of the Year. (Do they have some lemons?... Yes!) The PTSA and Education Foundation has worked tirelessly to update the school facility and technology (Is more needed?...Yes!). The parent volunteers are outstanding. I've heard over the years the District has hindered the school progress by not granting it money like other schools. However, McPherson has overcome through generous donations. Overall, it has been a Positive experience.
Submitted by other on October 23, 2013

I agree with EVERY negative comment on this site. It is very unfortunate because it used to be an amazing school that made learning fun for ALL the kids.