Homedale Joint District

Homedale Joint District serves about 1,318 students across three schools — Homedale Elementary School (PK-4), Homedale Middle School (5-8), and Homedale High School (9-12) — in a rural Idaho area with significant economic need, but the district's overall 1-star rating hides a stark contrast between a strong middle school and struggling elementary and high schools. The district ranks 80th out of 101 Idaho districts (21st percentile), and free/reduced-price lunch eligibility ranges from 50% to 57.6% across the three schools. That said, families should look beyond the district grade because the three schools are very different.

Homedale Middle School is the clear standout, ranking 83rd out of 174 Idaho middle schools (52nd percentile) with a 3-star rating. It beats the district and state averages in math and English language arts, with 43.6% math proficiency and 57.5% ELA proficiency, despite serving a student body where 54.8% qualify for free/reduced-price lunch. In contrast, Homedale Elementary School (298th of 346, 14th percentile, 1 star) has the highest poverty rate at 57.6% and chronic absenteeism at 20.7%, the worst in the district. Its math proficiency is 35.1% and ELA is 37.8%, both well below state averages. Homedale High School (110th of 122, 10th percentile, 1 star) has the worst academic outcomes, with math end-of-course proficiency at only 14.9% and science at 18.2%, even though it spends the most per student ($8,109) and has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (7.6%).

The biggest concern is a "leakage" problem: middle school math proficiency is 43.6%, but high school math collapses to 14.9%, and science drops from 33.9% to 18.2%. Chronic absenteeism doesn't explain this, since the high school has the lowest rate (7.6%) while the middle school has much higher absenteeism yet better results. The elementary school's 20.7% chronic absenteeism is an early warning sign. Spending also doesn't drive outcomes — the middle school spends less than the high school but achieves far more. For parents, the middle school is a bright spot, but urgent attention is needed at the elementary and high school levels.