Statewide, about two-thirds of K-3 students are reading at grade level, according to the most recent results from the Idaho Reading Indicator, a standardized test that students take each fall and spring.
But there are a number of schools and districts outperforming state averages when it comes to early literacy. EdNews mined the spring 2024 IRI data to identify the state’s top performers on the exam.
Read on for a look at where the greatest percentages of students are reading at grade level.
Before you look through the lists, keep a few things in mind:
- In smaller schools and districts, it can be easier to achieve high proficiency rates than in large schools/districts because data more easily skews high or low based on the performance of a relative few. We’ve included the number of test takers at each school and district so you have more context when considering scores.
- The lists also don’t account for demographic differences, such as a student body’s affluence, English proficiency, or other such factors that can affect a school’s test results.
- Some data has been redacted by the state, so not all districts and schools are represented (especially the smallest). And for those included, data on the number of test takers was sometimes blurred or redacted.
- While we strive to compare the most similar types of schools and districts, there are still a number of differences that aren’t accounted for (like those mentioned above and others). No comparison can be completely fair because of that.
- For complete datasets, click on the links at the bottom of the article.
Traditional school/district rankings
Below, we take a look at the top performing traditional public schools, traditional public school districts, and large traditional public school districts.
Traditional Schools
Seven of the schools listed below are in the Treasure Valley, including two in West Ada School District and five in Boise School District.
| School (District) | % reading at grade level | # of test takers |
| Donnelly Elementary (McCall-Donnelly) | >94 | Redacted |
| Paris Elementary (Bear Lake County) | >92 | Redacted |
| Washington Elementary (Boise) | 90.5 | 147 |
| Hillsdale Elementary (West Ada) | 89.9 | 474 |
| Highlands Elementary (Boise) | 98.7 | 145 |
| Longfellow Elementary (Boise) | 89.6 | >120 |
| Hayden Meadows Elementary (Coeur d’Alene) | 89.6 | 308 |
| Collister Elementary (Boise) | 89 | 127 |
| Adams Elementary (Boise) | 88.9 | >104 |
| Paramount Elementary (West Ada) | 88.4 | 318 |
Traditional public school districts
The districts on this list are small and rural, with the exception of McCall-Donnelly.
| District | % of students reading at grade level | # of test takers |
| Cambridge | 88.6 | >39 |
| Garden Valley | 88.4 | Redacted |
| North Gem | 86.5 | Redacted |
| Dietrich | 83.7 | >36 |
| McCall-Donnelly | 83.3 | 353 |
| Troy | 81.4 | 102 |
| Cottonwood | 81 | 126 |
| Nezperce | 80.9 | >38 |
| Rockland | 80.4 | 51 |
| Grace | 80 | Redacted |
Large traditional publics school districts
We culled a list of the state’s 25 largest districts, and from that pulled out the top performers. They are geographically diverse, including districts from North to South and in between.
| District | % of students reading at grade level | # of test takers |
| Post Falls | 79.1 | 1,833 |
| Lewiston | 78.9 | 1,277 |
| West Ada | 76.6 | 10,149 |
| Coeur d’Alene | 75.8 | 2,704 |
| Lakeland | 75.1 | 1,232 |
| Lake Pend Oreille | 74.4 | 1,033 |
| Madison | 73.8 | 1,649 |
| Bonneville | 72.8 | 3,790 |
| Jefferson County | 71.9 | 1,861 |
| Vallivue | 71.5 | 2,970 |
Nontraditional school/district rankings
Charter, magnet, nontraditional schools
Seven of the top-performing nontraditional schools are in the Treasure Valley, as was the case with the top-performing traditional schools.
| School (Location) | % reading at grade level | # of test takers |
| Taylor’s Crossing Public Charter (Idaho Falls) | >95 | Redacted |
| North Star Charter (Eagle) | 91.6 | 333 |
| Sorensen Magnet of the Arts and Humanities (Coeur d’Alene) | 90.8 | 195 |
| Rolling Hills Public Charter (Boise) | 90.2 | >92 |
| Gem Prep: Meridian South (Meridian) | 90 | 200 |
| Victory Charter (Nampa) | 89.9 | >98 |
| North Idaho STEM Charter Academy (Rathdrum) | 88.6 | >171 |
| Pioneer of the Arts (West Ada) | 87.2 | 421 |
| Compass Public Charter (Meridian) | 86.1 | 395 |
| Christine Donnell of the Arts (West Ada) | 85.7 | 293 |
Nontraditional local education agencies (charters)
Eight of these LEAs are located in the Treasure Valley.
| Charter (Location) | % of students reading at grade level | # of test takers |
| Taylor’s Crossing Public Charter (Idaho Falls) | >95 | Redacted |
| North Star Charter (Eagle) | 91.6 | 333 |
| Rolling Hills Public Charter (Boise) | 90.2 | >92 |
| Gem Prep: Meridian South (Meridian) | 90 | 200 |
| Victory Charter (Nampa) | 89.9 | >98 |
| North Idaho STEM Charter Academy (Rathdrum) | 88.6 | >171 |
| Compass Public Charter (Meridian) | 86.1 | 395 |
| Gem Prep: Meridian (Meridian) | 85.6 | 174 |
| Liberty Charter (Nampa) | 84.9 | 106 |
| Gem Prep: Meridian North (Meridian) | 81.8 | 198 |
See the data
Once you click on each document linked below, press “command” + “F” and a search box will pop up. You can then enter the name of the school or district you’re searching for.
Arranged by district or LEA number:
- Click here to see your district’s or charter’s score.
- Click here to see your elementary school’s score.
Ranked according to IRI proficiency levels:
- Click here to see where your district or charter ranks.
- Click here to see where your elementary school ranks.
Idaho Education News data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report.
