Summary:
The Lakeland District in Idaho serves 4,568 students across 11 schools — 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 3 high schools — and ranks 21st out of 101 Idaho districts with a 4-star rating, outperforming state averages in both math (49.4% vs. 43.1%) and English Language Arts (60.7% vs. 54.0%).
Among elementary schools, John Brown Elementary School stands out as the top academic performer despite having the highest free/reduced lunch rate among traditional schools (42.97%), posting 64.5% math proficiency and 64.2% ELA proficiency. Betty Kiefer Elementary School and Spirit Lake Elementary School also turn in strong results, while Garwood Elementary School trails at 39.5% math and 46.7% ELA. Twin Lakes Elementary School remains solid but has cooled from its former top-tier status. At the middle school level, Timberlake Middle School clearly outpaces Lakeland Middle School in both math (52.7% vs. 41.2%) and ELA (64.3% vs. 59.1%). At the high school level, Lakeland Senior High School is the district leader with 77.5% end-of-course ELA proficiency and the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the district at 5.2%, while Timberlake Senior High School also posts strong scores.
The most urgent concern is Garwood Elementary School, whose state rank collapsed from 151st to 261st in a single year, with double-digit drops in math, ELA, and science proficiency. Mountainview Alternative High School also faces serious challenges, with the district's highest chronic absenteeism (28.8%), highest spending per student ($10,206), and lowest proficiency rates. Interestingly, spending does not reliably predict outcomes — Betty Kiefer Elementary School spends the least per student but achieves strong scores, while Mountainview spends the most. Overall, the district benefits from a low chronic absenteeism rate (12.4%, below the state's 13.8%), but families should be aware that school-level performance varies widely depending on which school their child attends.
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