Best Public Schools in Menan, ID

Menan, Idaho, is a small community whose 471 students are served by just two schools in the Jefferson County Joint District: Midway Elementary School (grades PK–5, 372 students) and Jefferson High School (grades 9–12, 99 students). There is no middle or alternative school, so students make a direct transition from a relatively large elementary school to a very small high school. The two schools offer very different educational experiences and outcomes.

Midway Elementary School is the stronger-performing school and is showing clear improvement. Its math proficiency (43.6%) is essentially at the state average, while ELA (44.1%) trails the state by about 10 points. A notable bright spot is 3rd grade ELA at 52.2%, which beats both district and state averages. However, 4th grade is a trouble spot: proficiency plunges to 31.3% in ELA, nearly 19 points below the state. The school's ranking has also climbed from 1-star to 2-star status. In contrast, Jefferson High School reveals significant challenges. A staggering 50.5% of its students are chronically absent — about four times the district rate and 3.7 times the state rate. Science end-of-course proficiency sits at just 15.8%, a 25-point gap from the state average. Even though Jefferson spends about $1,120 more per student and has smaller classes than Midway, outcomes are markedly worse.

The transition into high school appears to be a critical moment for Menan students. Chronic absenteeism more than doubles from 21.1% at Midway to 50.5% at Jefferson, and the high school also has higher economic need, with 54.55% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch. Although Jefferson's graduation rate (82.5%) matches state and district averages, low proficiency suggests many students may be graduating without strong academic preparation. Midway, meanwhile, is moving in the right direction — all-grade proficiency rose 4–5 points in both math and ELA over the past year. For parents, the most urgent concern in Menan is clearly the attendance and achievement crisis at Jefferson High School.