Gooding Joint District

The Gooding Joint District serves roughly 1,189 students across four schools in southern Idaho — Gooding Elementary School (grades PK–5), Gooding Middle School (grades 6–8), Gooding High School (grades 9–12), and Gooding Alternative Learning Center (grades 9–12) — and ranks 54th out of 101 Idaho districts with a 2-star rating, placing it essentially in the middle of the pack statewide.

Gooding High School is the district's strongest academic performer, earning 3 stars and ranking 59th of 122 Idaho high schools. It exceeds state averages in both End-of-Course math (36% vs. 33.1%) and English Language Arts (67% vs. 61.3%), and its 82.5% graduation rate matches the state average. Gooding Middle School is the most improved school, jumping from 1 star to 2 stars and climbing from the 25th to the 44th percentile in a single year; its math proficiency rose sharply from 29.3% to 37.1%, though it still trails the state average by about 6 points. Gooding Elementary School is a math bright spot, posting 44.7% proficiency — above both the district and state averages — despite having the highest poverty rate in the district at 62.8% free/reduced lunch eligibility. However, its ELA proficiency of 40.9% falls roughly 13 points below the state average of 54%, making elementary reading the district's biggest academic weakness.

The Gooding Alternative Learning Center presents the most urgent non-academic concern: 51.2% of its 32 students are chronically absent, nearly four times the state average of 13.8%. This is especially troubling because its 82.5% graduation rate matches the state average, suggesting attendance problems could undermine future outcomes. Spending also varies widely by level — the elementary school receives $6,128 per student while the high school receives $10,197 — raising equity questions since the elementary school serves the highest-need population. Overall, this is a middle-performing district with genuine strengths at the high school, encouraging momentum at the middle school, and clear priorities: elementary reading intervention, continued middle school math growth, and a major focus on reducing chronic absenteeism at the alternative center.