Summary:
Boise Independent District includes 7 high schools serving about 5,943 students in Idaho's capital city: four traditional schools (Boise Senior High School, Borah Senior High School, Timberline High School, and Capital Senior High School) plus three specialized programs (Frank Church High School, Boise Online School – Secondary, and Ada County Juvenile Center) serving grades 5–12 or 7–12. The district ranks 41st of 101 Idaho districts (3 stars), but that single rating hides considerable variation among its high schools.
Timberline High School is the clear academic leader, ranking 40th of 122 Idaho high schools (3 stars) in 2025–26 with the district's highest test proficiency in math (45%), science (50%), and ELA (60%), plus the lowest chronic absenteeism (17.3%) and lowest poverty rate (16.7% free/reduced lunch). Boise Senior High School, the largest school with 1,512 students, posts solid math (39%) and ELA (49.8%) proficiency but has a volatile state ranking, swinging from 95th to 46th to 78th over three years. Borah Senior High School and Capital Senior High School are the district's most challenged traditional schools, ranking 90th and 91st respectively, with lower test scores, higher poverty (38% and 36%), and chronic absenteeism of 25% and 30.8%. Capital also has the lowest all-grades math proficiency in the district at 23.3%.
The specialized schools face even greater challenges. Frank Church High School serves a very high-need population (79% poverty, 81.3% chronic absenteeism) with very low proficiency, despite spending $16,964 per student and maintaining an 8.8 student-teacher ratio. Boise Online School – Secondary shows serious red flags, with math proficiency of just 11.4% and chronic absenteeism of 42.7%; Ada County Juvenile Center is a small facility serving just 11 students. Across all schools, chronic absenteeism is a major concern — even Timberline's 17.3% exceeds the state average of 13.8%, and the district average is 22.5%.
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