Summary:
Located in Grace, ID, the Grace Joint District includes just one elementary school, Black Canyon Elementary School, which serves grades PK–6 with 292 students and a student-teacher ratio of 18.4. This school stands out for its strong academic performance relative to the rest of Idaho, earning a 4-star rating and ranking 101st out of 346 elementary schools statewide (71st percentile) while placing 16th out of 101 districts (84th percentile) for the 2025–2026 school year.
Black Canyon Elementary outperforms the state average in both math and English language arts by comfortable margins. Overall math proficiency is 58.5% compared to the state’s 43.1%, and ELA proficiency is 63.2% versus the state’s 54.0%. The 4th grade is a clear bright spot: math proficiency reaches 78.4% (30.4 points above the state average) and ELA reaches 71.4% (21.2 points above). Even though 48.63% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch—a common indicator of economic disadvantage—the school’s results remain well above state norms. Chronic absenteeism is also low relative to the state: 9.0% versus 13.8% statewide, though it runs above the district average of 5.6%.
There are a few areas worth noting. The 5th grade shows a significant dip, with math and ELA proficiency nearly matching the state average rather than exceeding it, and 5th grade science sits essentially at the state average (44.1% vs. 44.0%). This pattern may reflect the current grade cohort or signal a need for targeted support at that level. Encouragingly, the school’s ranking has improved from 107th (3 stars) in 2024–2025 to 101st (4 stars) this year, indicating positive momentum. For parents considering this area, Black Canyon Elementary offers a solid, above-average education with particular strengths in 4th grade and overall math and reading achievement.
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