Summary:
Gooding, Idaho is served by one middle school, Gooding Middle School, which enrolls 289 students in grades 6 through 8 and is part of the Gooding Joint District. As the only middle school in the city, it defines the district’s middle-level performance, and its recent gains suggest a school on the rise. This is a school where English Language Arts is a clear strength, while math remains the main area needing attention.
In 2025–2026, Gooding Middle School posted an all-grades ELA proficiency rate of 54.2%, slightly above the state average of 54.0% and well above its district’s 50.8%. Seventh graders were especially strong in reading, hitting 60.4% proficiency compared to the state’s 56.8%. Math tells a different story: overall math proficiency is just 37.1%, far below the state’s 43.1%, with 7th grade math plunging to 29.7% — nearly 14 points under the state average. Science performance in 8th grade is closer to par at 41.7% versus 42.9% statewide. Chronic absenteeism is a positive standout at 12.5%, better than both the district (15.7%) and state (13.8%), even though more than half of students (53.98%) qualify for free/reduced lunch.
The school has made meaningful gains from the prior year: math proficiency jumped from 29.3% to 37.1%, and ELA rose from 52.1% to 54.2%. Its state ranking improved from 125th (25th percentile) to 97th (44th percentile), raising its star rating from 1 to 2 stars. Because Gooding Middle School is the only middle school in the district, its grade-level test scores exactly match the district’s grade-level results. Keep in mind that the per-student spending figure of $8,827 dates to 2018–2019 and is not current, and the free/reduced lunch data is from 2024–2025 while test scores are from 2025–2026. Overall, this is a school with solid literacy, improving math, and better attendance than average — worth watching for continued progress.
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