Summary:
Basin School District is a small, two-school district in Idaho City, Idaho, serving 299 students across Basin Elementary School (grades PK–6) and Idaho City High School (grades 7–12), with no standalone middle school.
The two schools present contrasting profiles. Basin Elementary is the district’s academic bright spot in 5th grade, where students outperform the state by roughly 17 points in math, English language arts, and science. However, the school also carries a major red flag: a 32.6% chronic absenteeism rate, more than double the state average of 13.8%, and 4th grade scores that fall dramatically short of state averages (23.8% vs. 48.0% in math, and 28.6% vs. 50.2% in ELA). Idaho City High School, by contrast, has much better attendance (14.5% chronic absenteeism, nearly matching the state) and a graduation rate of 82.5%, exactly equal to the state average. Yet its test scores lag, particularly in ELA, which dropped sharply from 58.3% to 45.1% proficiency in one year. Math and science at the high school improved modestly over the same period, but remain below state averages.
Overall, the district ranks in the 23rd percentile statewide, with Basin Elementary at the 44th percentile and Idaho City High School at the 23rd percentile. Both schools benefit from small class sizes (student-teacher ratios of 12.6:1 and 10.9:1, respectively) and roughly 43% of students districtwide qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Basin Elementary spends more per student ($12,308) than the high school ($10,840). The key takeaway for parents is that this is a district of stark contrasts: the 5th grade at Basin Elementary is exceptional, attendance at the high school is a positive, but chronic absenteeism in elementary grades and steep grade-level swings in proficiency are the areas most likely to benefit from targeted intervention.
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