Summary:
The Buhl Joint District in Buhl, Idaho serves 1,198 students across four public schools: Popplewell Elementary School (PK–5), Buhl Middle School (6–8), Buhl High School (9–12), and Wakapa Academy (9–12), a tiny alternative high school with just 11 students. The district ranks 91st out of 101 Idaho districts, placing it in the 10th percentile with a 1-star rating, signaling below-average performance overall.
Popplewell Elementary School is the largest school with 542 students, but it also has the highest economic disadvantage rate (59.4% free/reduced lunch) and the highest chronic absenteeism (21.2% vs. 13.8% statewide). Its test scores are below state averages, with a dramatic "5th grade cliff" — math proficiency drops from 43.5% in 4th grade to just 25.5% in 5th grade. Buhl Middle School is the strongest school in English Language Arts, with 43.8% proficiency, and its 8th graders nearly match the state average (53.7% vs. 54.5%). Math, however, is a clear weakness at 29.4% proficiency vs. 43.1% statewide. Buhl High School has the lowest poverty rate (40.9%), the lowest student-teacher ratio (16.0), the highest per-student spending ($10,439), a low 8.8% chronic absenteeism rate, and a graduation rate of 82.5% that matches the state. Wakapa Academy, with only 11 students, appears to serve a higher-need population with a 31.3% absenteeism rate and no traditional performance data available.
Spending per student is roughly 30% higher at the high school level ($10,439) than at the elementary level ($8,001), even though the elementary school has the most students and the highest poverty rate. Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide concern in the younger grades, with both Popplewell and Buhl Middle exceeding the state rate of 13.8%. Overall, the most urgent priorities for this district should be early intervention, attendance improvement, and targeted math support in the elementary and middle grades.
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