Updated at 11:33 a.m. to correct some misplaced schools on the charter and nontraditional schools lists.
While Idaho students as a whole are making small gains in math and English and nosing above state goals, some are far exceeding benchmarks, according to newly-released data on one of the most significant statewide measures of academic achievement.
A breakdown of the 2024 Idaho Standards Achievement results by districts and schools highlights some of the state’s bright spots, where students are outperforming their peers.
The ISAT is taken each spring by all Idaho students in grades 3-8 and 11 for math and ELA, as well as grades 5, 8 and 11 for science. More than 160,000 students took the ISAT last spring. For an explainer on standardized tests, go here. Go here for rankings of districts and charters in science, math and ELA sorted high to low.
To celebrate their success, EdNews has mined statewide data to come up with top performer lists that showcase those schools and districts.
Some nuances to consider before you read on:
Below, we take a look at the highest performers in three subject areas — ELA, math, and science — according to these categories:
- Charter schools
- Traditional school districts
- Large traditional school districts
- Traditional schools
- Nontraditional schools
While we strive to compare apples to apples in these lists, they’re still imperfect. For example, they don’t take into account factors such as student grade levels or demographics (a student body’s affluence, English proficiency, and other such factors can affect a school’s test results). But they give the public a glimpse at some of the state’s high performers.
It’s also worth noting that the State Board of Education’s data management council sets rules to redact certain test results or other student information for a number of reasons. Therefore, some schools’ and districts’ data has been redacted or masked to protect student privacy, so they won’t be represented on these lists.
Charter school successes
Top charter ISAT performers, ELA
Most of these charter schools are located in the Treasure Valley. The average scores at all of these schools were far above the state ELA average (53.3%) and state ELA goal (52.6%).
| Charter/location | % proficient or higher | # test takers |
| Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy | 94.2 | Redacted |
| North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, Rathdrum | 92.5 | 325 |
| Liberty Charter, Nampa | 85.5 | 213 |
| Gem Prep: Meridian | 84.3 | 280 |
| Meridian Technical Charter High | 83.3 | Redacted |
| North Star Charter, Eagle | 82.4 | 613 |
| Compass Public Charter, Meridian | 80.8 | 729 |
| Legacy Public Charter, Nampa | 79.2 | 226 |
| Victory Charter, Nampa | 78.9 | 209 |
| Gem Prep: Online | 78.2 | 198 |
| Thomas Jefferson Charter, Caldwell | 77.9 | 213 |
Top charter ISAT performers, math
Treasure Valley charter schools again dominate this list. The average scores at all of these schools were far above the state math average (42.2%) and the state math goal (41.6%).
| Charter/location | % proficient or higher | # test takers |
| North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, Rathdrum | 93.1 | Redacted |
| Coeur d’Alene Charter academy | 87.6 | 400 |
| Meridian Medical Arts Charter | 79.5 | Redacted |
| Legacy Public Charter, Nampa | 77.4 | 226 |
| Liberty Charter, Nampa | 77.1 | 214 |
| Meridian Technical Charter High | 76.2 | Redacted |
| Victory Charter, Nampa | 74.7 | 206 |
| Thomas Jefferson Charter, Caldwell | 74.6 | 212 |
| North Star Charter, Eagle | 74.5 | 613 |
| Gem Prep: Meridian | 71.8 | 280 |
| Compass Public Charter, Meridian | 69.8 | 729 |
| Gem Prep: Meridian North | 64.6 | 274 |
Top charter ISAT performers, science
The average scores at all of these schools — which are mostly in the Treasure Valley — were well above the state average of 41.2%.
| Charter/location | % proficient or higher | # test takers |
| North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, Rathdrum | 87.7 | Redacted |
| Palouse Prairie Charter, Moscow | 85.7 | Redacted |
| Meridian Medical Arts Charter | 84.1 | Redacted |
| Meridian Technical Charter High | 81 | Redacted |
| Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy | 75.9 | 162 |
| North Star Charter, Eagle | 74 | 219 |
| Legacy Public Charter, Nampa | 73.6 | Redacted |
| Gem Prep: Online | 73.1 | 97 |
| Victory Charter, Nampa | 72.6 | Redacted |
| Liberty Charter, Nampa | 68.9 | 50 |
| Gem Prep: Meridian | 66.3 | 98 |
| Sage International of Boise | 65.8 | 246 |
Traditional school district successes
Top traditional school district ISAT performers, ELA
Half of these districts are in North Idaho. Most are small and rural. The average scores at all of these districts were far above the state ELA average (53.3%) and the state ELA goal (52.6%).
| District | % proficient or higher | # test takers |
| Rockland | 71.9 | 96 |
| Cottonwood | 71.4 | 238 |
| Troy | 71.4 | 168 |
| Genesee | 71.1 | 145 |
| Swan Valley Elementary | 70.6 | Redacted |
| McCall-Donnelly | 69.3 | 736 |
| Moscow | 69.2 | 1,174 |
| West Ada | 69 | 20,324 |
| North Gem | 68.1 | 69 |
| Kootenai | 67 | 103 |
Top large traditional school districts (3,000 test takers or more), ELA
This list includes just the large districts that met or exceeded the state ELA average (53.3%) and/or the state ELA goal (52.6%).
| District | % proficient or higher | # test takers |
| West Ada | 69 | 20,324 |
| Coeur d’Alene | 64.4 | 5,072 |
| Pocatello | 57.3 | 6,185 |
| Post Falls | 56.5 | 3,129 |
| Jefferson County | 56.2 | 3,506 |
| Bonneville | 53.6 | 7,275 |
| Boise | 53.5 | 11,454 |
| Vallivue | 52.8 | 5,348 |
Top traditional school district ISAT performers, math
Most of these districts are small and rural, with the exception of Moscow and West Ada. Half are in North Idaho, and four are in the southern half of the state. The average scores at all of these schools were far above the state math average (42.2%) and the state math goal (41.6%).
| District | % proficient or higher | # test takers |
| Troy | 71.5 | 168 |
| Cottonwood | 70.2 | 238 |
| Rockland | 63.2 | 98 |
| Genesee | 61.6 | 146 |
| Moscow | 59.1 | 1,176 |
| West Side | 58.5 | 398 |
| West Ada | 57.5 | 20,496 |
| Dietrich | 57.4 | 94 |
| Murtaugh | 56.6 | 219 |
| Cascade | 56.6 | 99 |
Top large traditional school districts (3,000 test takers or more), math
This list includes just the large districts that met or exceeded the state math average (42.2%) and/or the state math goal (41.6%).
| District | % proficient or higher | # test takers |
| West Ada | 57.5 | 20,496 |
| Jefferson County | 49.8 | 3,522 |
| Coeur d’Alene | 49.7 | 5,068 |
| Post Falls | 47.1 | 3,128 |
| Pocatello | 45.3 | 6,196 |
| Boise | 44.8 | 11,627 |
| Bonneville | 41.6 | 7,292 |
Top traditional districts, science
Three of the districts are in North Idaho, and three are in Southeast Idaho. Most are rural and small. The average scores at all of these districts were all above the state average of 41.2%.
| District | % proficient or higher | # test takers |
| Genesee | 63.8 | 58 |
| Moscow | 62 | 500 |
| Rockland | 58.7 | 46 |
| West Ada | 57.9 | 9,084 |
| Basin | 55.9 | 68 |
| Cottonwood | 55.8 | 95 |
| Hagerman | 52.7 | 93 |
| Lake Pend Oreille | 52.4 | 786 |
| Grace | 52 | 123 |
| Soda Springs | 51.9 | 191 |
Top large traditional districts, science
For this list, we looked at the ten largest traditional districts in Idaho. Only these three had average scores higher than the state average of 41.2%.
| District | % proficient or higher | # test takers |
| West Ada | 57.9 | 9,084 |
| Coeur d’Alene | 49.1 | 2,256 |
| Pocatello | 44.9 | 2,663 |
Traditional school successes
Top traditional schools, ELA
Four of these schools are in the Treasure Valley, and four are in North Idaho. The average scores at all of these schools were far above the state ELA average (53.3%) and the state ELA goal (52.6%).
| School, District | % proficient or higher | # test takers |
| Paramount Elementary, West Ada | 85.5 | 256 |
| Twin Falls High, Twin Falls | 85 | 341 |
| Edahow Elementary, Pocatello/Chubbuck | 82.9 | Redacted |
| Mountain View High, West Ada | 81.3 | 576 |
| McCall-Donnelly High, McCall-Donnelly | 80.9 | Redacted |
| Hayden Meadows Elementary, Coeur d’Alene | 79.6 | 270 |
| Highlands Elementary, Boise | 79.1 | 172 |
| Coeur d’Alene High, Coeur d’Alene | 79 | 356 |
| Moscow High, Moscow | 78.9 | Redacted |
| Adams Elementary, Boise | 78.7 | 155 |
*Scores for some schools were redacted to protect student privacy (due to a small number of test takers). Those schools are not represented on the list above.
Top traditional schools, math
West Ada elementary schools claimed seven of these top spots. The average scores at all of these schools were all well above the state math average (42.2%) and the state math goal (41.6%).
| School, District | % proficient or higher | # test takers |
| Paramount Elementary, West Ada | 85.4 | 261 |
| Edahow Elementary, Pocatello/Chubbuck | 78.3 | Redacted |
| Highlands Elementary, Boise | 77.5 | 173 |
| Hunter Elementary, West Ada | 77 | 283 |
| Eagle Hills Elementary, West Ada | 75.9 | 236 |
| Adams Elementary, Boise | 75.5 | 155 |
| Prospect Elementary, West Ada | 75.4 | 280 |
| Cecil D. Andrus Elementary, West Ada | 75 | 232 |
| Discovery Elementary, West Ada | 74.6 | 252 |
| Hillsdale Elementary, West Ada | 73.4 | 369 |
*Scores for some schools were redacted to protect student privacy (due to a small number of test takers). Those schools are not represented on the list above.
Top traditional schools, science
Half of these schools are in the Treasure Valley, and four are in North Idaho. All of these schools had average scores well above the state average of 41.2%.
| School, District | % proficient or higher |
| Hayden Meadows Elementary, Coeur d’Alene | 78.8 |
| Washington Elementary, Lake Pend Oreille | 78.3 |
| Hidden Springs Elementary, Boise | 77.8 |
| Eagle Hills Elementary, West Ada | 77.8 |
| Highlands Elementary, Boise | 76.9 |
| Greensferry Elementary, Post Falls | 76.8 |
| Paramount Elementary, West Ada | 76.8 |
| AB McDonald Elementary, Moscow | 76.7 |
| Frontier Elementary, West Ada | 76.5 |
| Edahow Elementary, Pocatello/Chubbuck | 76.3 |
*Test taker numbers were redacted by the Idaho Department of Education to protect student privacy. Nearly 300 schools had their science scores redacted so they are not represented on the list above.
Nontraditional School Successes
Top nontraditional schools, ELA
This list includes charter schools, magnet schools, and schools of choice. However, we did not include charter schools that already appeared on the top charter schools list. The average scores at all of these schools were far above the state ELA average (53.3%) and the state ELA goal (52.6%).
| School, District | % proficient or higher | # test takers |
| Idaho Fine Arts Academy, West Ada | 90.7 | Redacted |
| Praxium Mastery Academy, Bonneville | 90.6 | Redacted |
| Galileo STEM Academy, West Ada | 82.6 | 485 |
| Sorensen Magnet of the Arts and Humanities, Coeur d’Alene | 80.9 | Redacted |
| Pioneer of the Arts, West Ada | 76.9 | Redacted |
| Gem Prep: Meridian North | 74.5 | 274 |
| Taylor’s Crossing Charter, Idaho Falls | 73.1 | 201 |
| Eliza Hart Spalding STEM Academy, West Ada | 72.9 | 325 |
| Syringa Mountain Charter, Hailey | 72.6 | 62 |
| Summerwind STEM Academy | 72.3 | 184 |
*Scores for some schools were redacted to protect student privacy (due to a small number of test takers). Those schools are not represented on the list above.
Top nontraditional schools, math
This list includes charter schools, magnet schools, and schools of choice. However, we did not include charter schools that already appeared on the top charter schools list. Most of the schools are in the West Ada School District. The average scores at all of these schools were far above the state math average (42.2%) and the state math goal (41.6%).
| School, District | % proficient or higher | # test takers |
| Renaissance High, West Ada | 92.7 | Redacted |
| Praxium Mastery Academy, Bonneville | 84.9 | Redacted |
| Sorensen Magnet of the Arts and Humanities, Coeur d’Alene | 79.6 | 167 |
| Galileo STEM Academy, West Ada | 77.2 | 485 |
| Pioneer of the Arts, West Ada | 73.8 | 324 |
| Eliza Hart Spalding STEM Academy, West Ada | 72.4 | 326 |
| Idaho Fine Arts Academy, West Ada | 71.9 | 128 |
| Chief Joseph of the Arts, West Ada | 66.1 | 248 |
| Barbara Morgan STEM Academy, West Ada | 65.7 | 224 |
| Christine Donnell of the Arts, West Ada | 65.6 | 227 |
| Gem Prep: Meridian North | 64.6 | 274 |
*Scores for some schools were redacted to protect student privacy (due to a small number of test takers). Those schools are not represented on the list above.
Top nontraditional schools, science
This list includes charter schools, magnet schools, and schools of choice. However, we did not include charter schools that already appeared on the top charter schools list. Most of these schools were from West Ada. The average scores at all of these schools were all above the state average of 41.2%.
| School, District | % proficient or higher |
| Renaissance High, West Ada | 90.7 |
| Sorensen Magnet of the Arts and Humanities, Coeur d’Alene | 81.3 |
| Galileo STEM Academy, West Ada | 80.2 |
| Praxium Mastery Academy, Bonneville | 78.2 |
| Idaho Fine Arts Academy, West Ada | 73.9 |
| Summerwind STEM Academy, West Ada | 68.5 |
| Barbara Morgan STEM Academy, West Ada | 67.1 |
| Pioneer of the Arts, West Ada | 66.7 |
| Gem Prep: Meridian | 66.3 |
| Sage International of Boise | 65.8 |
*Test taker numbers were redacted by the Idaho Department of Education to protect student privacy. Nearly 300 schools had their science scores redacted so they are not represented on the list above.
Idaho Education News data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report.
