Best Public Schools in Hope, ID

Hope, Idaho is home to a single public school, Hope Elementary School, which serves students from pre-kindergarten through 6th grade with 117 students enrolled. The school belongs to the Lake Pend Oreille School District, a highly rated district ranked 22nd out of 101 districts in Idaho with a 4-star rating. Because Hope has no middle or high school, Hope Elementary serves as the educational center of this small community, with students leaving town for secondary school.

Hope Elementary presents a mixed picture when it comes to academics. The school's math proficiency rate of 44.3% is slightly above the state average of 43.1%, and its 4th grade ELA proficiency of 55.6% exceeds both the district and state averages. However, overall ELA proficiency stands at just 45.2%, well below the state average of 54.0% and the district average of 64.0%. The decline is especially noticeable in upper grades: 3rd grade ELA is at 40.0%, 5th grade at 46.7%, and 6th grade drops to 35.7%, which is nearly 24 points below the district figure. Science proficiency (41.7%) also trails slightly behind the state (42.6%). With a student-teacher ratio of 13.9, class sizes are relatively small, but the school's own ranking of 247th out of 346 Idaho schools (1 star) reveals the challenges it faces.

Economic disadvantage is a significant factor at Hope Elementary, where 54.7% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school's historical chronic absenteeism rate of 16.0% is also notably high, especially for a small school. The gap between the district's 4-star rating and Hope Elementary's 1-star ranking suggests the district's success is concentrated in other schools. For parents, this means Hope Elementary offers solid math instruction and small class sizes, but may require additional attention to literacy in upper grades and efforts to improve attendance.