Summary:
The Cambridge Joint District in Cambridge, Idaho, is served by a single elementary school, Cambridge Elementary School, which enrolls 75 students in grades PK–5. This small rural school stands out most for its mathematics achievement: in the 2025–26 school year, 66.7% of students scored proficient in math, compared to 43.1% statewide, a 23.6 percentage-point advantage. Chronic absenteeism is also a positive, at just 9.4% versus the state average of 13.8%. However, the school’s state ranking has been volatile, swinging from 260th (1 star) in 2011–12 to 12th (5 stars) in 2012–13, and currently sitting at 116th (3 stars).
Cambridge Elementary currently holds a strong district rank of 19th out of 101 Idaho elementary schools (81st percentile, 4 stars). The school provides a personalized learning environment with a student–teacher ratio of 9.3:1, and spends about $21,265 per student (2018–19). More than half of students (56%) qualify for free/reduced lunch. In 2025–26, schoolwide math proficiency was 66.7%, but English language arts proficiency was only 47.2% — below both the district (49.4%) and state (54.0%). Grade-level results show inconsistency: 4th-grade math proficiency was 53.8%, while 5th-grade science and ELA were both 57.1%, above state averages.
The most concerning trend is a sharp one-year drop in ELA proficiency, from 63.6% in 2024–25 to 47.2% in 2025–26, a decline of 16.4 points. Math also dipped slightly, from 69.7% to 66.7%. These swings likely reflect the small cohort size, as a change of just a handful of students can shift percentages dramatically. Despite serving a majority low-income population, the school maintains low chronic absenteeism and a strong math program. Overall, Cambridge Elementary is a school with clear strengths in math and attendance, but its ELA performance and year-to-year volatility are worth monitoring for parents.
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