Best Public Schools in Paris, ID

Paris, Idaho, a small city in the Bear Lake County District, is served by two schools with a combined enrollment of 358 students: Bear Lake On-Line Learning, a K-8 online elementary school with 224 students, and Paris Elementary School, a traditional PK-5 elementary school with 134 students, with no standalone middle or high schools in the city. Both schools earned 2 stars in the 2025-2026 school year, but they offer very different educational experiences. Paris Elementary is a traditional brick-and-mortar school, while Bear Lake On-Line Learning provides a fully online option for families across a wider grade span.

Paris Elementary School is the clear academic standout. It ranked 181 out of 346 Idaho elementary schools (48th percentile) and scored above the state average in both math (46.5% vs. 43.1%) and English language arts (56.3% vs. 54.0%). In 2024-2025, its results were even stronger, with 71.0% math proficiency and 69.4% ELA proficiency. This is especially impressive given that 55.97% of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Bear Lake On-Line Learning, while improving, continues to lag: it ranked 229th (34th percentile) and posted 32.2% math and 43.0% ELA proficiency, both below district and state averages. The gap between the two schools was 14.3 percentage points in math and 13.3 points in ELA.

One key takeaway is that Bear Lake On-Line Learning's larger enrollment pulls down the citywide average, masking Paris Elementary's strong performance. The online school has shown improvement from the 15th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 34th percentile in 2025-2026, but science is a weak spot for both schools (31.3% for Bear Lake Online and 32.0% for Paris Elementary's 5th graders, versus 44.0% statewide). Paris Elementary has low chronic absenteeism at 7.8% and a 16:1 student-teacher ratio, though spending data is dated. Families seeking a traditional middle or high school will need to look outside Paris, as only the K-8 online option and the PK-5 elementary school are available locally.