Idaho high school graduation rate sitting at 81%
In north central region, Potlatch is top with a 93.8% rate
Not as many Idaho students are graduating on time as state education leaders would like, but some schools have met and exceeded those high hopes, and others are closing in.
Idaho EdNews combed recently released data from the Idaho Department of Education to identify the schools that are at the top, exceeding the statewide average (81% in 2023), and sometimes, even the lofty state goal (95%).
A few things to keep in mind before digging into the data:
Senior class size vs. four-year cohort size: We’ve included the four-year cohort size for each school. A cohort is different than the senior class size, partly because it includes students who drop out between freshman and senior year.
Here’s how the IDE defines a cohort: “Students who are entering grade 9 for the first time form a cohort that is subsequently ‘adjusted’ by adding any students who transfer into the school during the next four years and subtracting any students who transfer out, immigrate to another country, or pass away during that same time period.”
There are myriad possible ways to consider and arrange data. We’ve done so in the way we thought fairest, trying to compare the most similar schools, according to size and type.
An imperfect comparison: It’s still an imperfect comparison; it doesn’t account for the many other differences between schools, such as location, student demographics, the school’s level of funding, and more. It’s just intended to be a glimpse into the data.
Top 10 small traditional schools — Clark Fork High, 100%; Grace High, 100%; Clark County High, 100%; Kootenai High, 100%; Castleford High, 100%; Murtaugh High, 100%; McCall-Donnelly High, 97.7%; Malad High, 97.6%.
Top 10 large traditional schools — Timberlake High, 97.6%; Madison High, 96.6%; Snake River High, 96.2%; Fruitland High, 95.5%; Thunder Ridge High, 95%; Eagle High, 94.4%; Owyhee High, 94.4%; Hillcrest High, 92.9%; Minico High, 92.9%; Middleton High, 92.8%.
Top 10 small nontraditional schools — White Pine Charter, 100%; North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, 100%; Gem Prep: Pocatello, 100%; Gem Prep: Meridian, 100%; Gem Prep: Nampa, 100%; Meridian Technical Charter, 97.2; Victory Charter, 96.8; Liberty Charter, 96.4; Idaho Fine Arts Academy, 96.3%; Taylor’s Crossing Public Charter, 93.8%; American Heritage Charter, 93.8%.
Top 10 large nontraditional school — Renaissance, 99.3%; Meridian Medical Arts Charter, 97.6%; Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, 96.5%; Compass Academy, 95.4%; Vision Charter, 95.8%; Mountainview Alternative High, 91.1%; Bonneville Online School, 89.8%; Bennett Mountain Alternative, 88.9%; New Vision Alternative, 88.9%.
North central Idaho school districts — Potlatch, 93.8%; Troy, 91.3%; Cottonwood, 90.9%; Nezperce, 90.9%; Genesee, 90%; Lewiston, 88.4%; Kendrick, 87.5%; Kamiah, 85.3%; Moscow, 84.8%; Whitepine-Deary/Bovill, 84.2%; Culdesac, 80%; Salmon River-Riggins, 77.8%; Lapwai, 75.6%; Orofino, 70.5%; Highland-Craigmont, 66.7%; Mountain View-Grangeville/Kooskia/Elk City, 65.4%.
