Notus District

The Notus District is a small, rural Idaho district of just two schools — Notus Elementary School (PK–6, 178 students) and Notus Junior/Senior High School (7–12, 157 students) — serving 335 students total with no standalone middle school. The district overall is currently rated 1 star and ranks 75th of 101 Idaho districts (26th percentile). Data on rankings, proficiency, attendance, and spending reveals a clear split: the secondary school is the stronger performer, while the elementary school is struggling.

Notus Junior/Senior High School stands out as the stronger all-around performer. It earned 2 stars and ranks 71st of 122 high schools (42nd percentile), up from the 31st percentile a year earlier. Its ELA proficiency is 48.5%, close to the state's 54%, and its End-of-Course math score of 39.1% tops the state average of 33.1%. Chronic absenteeism is 13.9%, nearly matching the state rate of 13.8%, and the school enjoys a favorable 10.2:1 student-teacher ratio with $9,777 per-student spending. Notus Elementary School, by contrast, sits at 1 star and ranks 289th of 346 elementary schools (16th percentile). Its chronic absenteeism is 27.7% — double the state average — while math proficiency is just 25.9% versus the state's 43.1%, and its 22.2:1 student-teacher ratio is more than double the high school's.

The two schools are moving in opposite directions. The high school improved math proficiency by 11.9 points, ELA by 6.8 points, and jumped from the 31st to 42nd percentile in ranking. Meanwhile, the elementary school's math proficiency fell 10.1 points, and its ranking dropped from the 32nd to 16th percentile. One bright spot: 4th grade ELA at the elementary is 52.6%, above the state's 50.2%, though 5th grade ELA falls to 29.2%. The high school's graduation rate of 82.5% exactly matches the state average. District-wide, math is a clear weakness — both schools sit near 26% proficiency versus the state's 43.1%. Because this district has only two schools, targeted fixes at the elementary level, especially around chronic absenteeism and early math, could dramatically shift the district's overall metrics.