Summary:
The city of Kimberly, Idaho, is served by the Kimberly District and includes five schools—two elementary schools (Stricker Elementary School and Kimberly Elementary School), one middle school (Kimberly Middle School), one high school (Kimberly High School), and one K-12 alternative school (Rise Charter School)—serving about 2,164 students total. The district ranks 58th out of 101 Idaho districts with a 2-star rating, but individual schools vary widely.
The standout positive is Kimberly Elementary School, which posts the district’s best math scores (54.8% proficient vs. 43.1% statewide) despite having the highest free/reduced lunch rate at 41%. Rise Charter School has the lowest chronic absenteeism (7.3%) and smallest class sizes (12.7:1), plus a large 5th-grade science spike, though its overall reading scores lag. Kimberly Middle School is improving its state ranking and beats the state in 7th-grade ELA, but it also has the highest absenteeism (18%) and weak 8th-grade math. Meanwhile, Stricker Elementary School remains solid in 5th-grade reading but has slipped in overall ranking.
A key pattern is the sharp drop in math proficiency from elementary (about 52-53%) to middle school (35%) to high school (27%). Both elementary schools outperform the state in math but fall below in reading, except for 5th grade. Poverty is not a simple predictor: Kimberly Elementary does best in math despite its high poverty rate, while Kimberly High School—with the lowest poverty and highest spending—has the biggest academic gaps, including math at 26.8% vs. the state’s 43.1%. Graduation rates match the state average, but proficiency suggests many students are not graduating with strong mastery. The district’s 2-star rating hides real bright spots and areas needing urgent attention.
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