Summary:
The three middle schools in the Nampa School District — Lone Star Middle School, South Middle School, and East Valley Middle School — serve 2,517 students in grades 6-8 in the Nampa, Idaho area. The district ranks 85th out of 101 Idaho districts (16th percentile, 1 star), indicating significant challenges compared to the rest of the state.
South Middle School is the clear standout. It is the only middle school with a 2-star rating, ranking in the 32nd percentile (119th of 174 schools), and it exceeds district averages in every tested subject. Its 8th-grade math proficiency (42.6%) and science proficiency (43.5%) even top Idaho state averages. East Valley Middle School is the most improved, with math proficiency rising from 21.3% to 28.7% and ELA rising from 32.4% to 42.2% year-over-year. In contrast, Lone Star Middle School, the largest school with 927 students, ranks 165th out of 174 (5th percentile, 0 stars) and saw ELA proficiency drop from 40.3% to 33.3% in one year.
All three schools struggle with chronic absenteeism, ranging from 21.9% at Lone Star to 25.3% at East Valley, far above the state average of 13.8%. Poverty rates are similar across the three (50-55%), so demographics alone do not explain the performance gap. Notably, East Valley spends the most per student ($7,274) yet trails South, which spends less ($7,113), while Lone Star spends the least ($6,929) and has the highest student-teacher ratio (19.2:1). For parents, South Middle is the strongest academic choice, East Valley shows promising momentum, and Lone Star appears to need the most urgent attention.
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