Best Public Schools in Harrison, ID

Harrison, Idaho is served by two small public schools in the Kootenai District — Kootenai Junior/Senior High School (grades 6–12, with 111 students) and Harrison Elementary School (grades PK–5, with 102 students) — which share a single campus at 13030 East O'Gara Road and together educate 213 students across this rural community.

Harrison Elementary School is the clear academic standout. In the 2025–2026 school year, its students posted 81.6% math proficiency and 87.5% ELA proficiency, far outpacing both the Kootenai District (59.2% math, 69.8% ELA) and Idaho statewide averages (43.1% math, 54.0% ELA). This is especially notable because Harrison Elementary serves a slightly higher share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (41.2%) than Kootenai Junior/Senior High School (36.0%), yet its results are dramatically better. By contrast, Kootenai Junior/Senior High School has fallen from a 5-star, 96th-percentile state ranking in 2012–2013 to a 3-star, 63rd-percentile ranking in 2024–2025, and its current math proficiency (36.7%) and ELA proficiency (52.1%) are below state averages.

Chronic absenteeism is a concern at the high school: 22.1% of Kootenai Junior/Senior High School students were chronically absent, nearly double the elementary school’s rate (12.1%) and well above the state rate (13.8%). Both schools spend roughly $19,400–$19,700 per student, with the high school spending slightly more and maintaining a lower student–teacher ratio (11.1 vs. 15.1), yet it underperforms. Because these are very small schools, proficiency rates can swing sharply from year to year, and the identical graduation rate of 82.5% across school, district, and state may be a data artifact. Still, the overall pattern is consistent: the elementary school is thriving, while the high school’s attendance and test scores warrant attention.