Summary:
The Potlatch District, located in Potlatch, ID, is served by a single high school — Potlatch Junior/Senior High School — which enrolls 209 students across grades 7 through 12, making it a small combined junior/senior high school in a rural setting.
Potlatch Junior/Senior High School has shown a dramatic improvement in its state ranking, moving from the 35th percentile (104 out of 159 schools) in 2023–2024 to the 65th percentile (43 out of 122) in 2025–2026 — a jump from a 2-star to a 3-star rating. The school's greatest strength appears at the high school level: End-of-Course exam proficiency exceeds state averages in math (39.1% vs. 33.1%), science (47.8% vs. 41.2%), and ELA (65.2% vs. 61.3%). The graduation rate of 82.5% matches state and district averages exactly. However, chronic absenteeism is a concern, with 16.9% of students chronically absent, notably higher than the district's 10.4% and state's 13.8%. The Potlatch District itself ranks at the 40th percentile of Idaho districts, while the school ranks higher at the 65th percentile, making the school a relative bright spot within the district.
The biggest challenges lie in the middle grades. Eighth-grade math proficiency is just 25.8%, far below the state's 41.2%, and 7th-grade ELA proficiency (42.9%) trails the state by nearly 14 points. Overall math proficiency improved significantly year-over-year, from 25.8% to 35.4%, but still lags the state. With roughly one-third of students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch and a student-teacher ratio of 14.5:1, the school offers modest class sizes. Given the small enrollment of only 209 students, each percentage point represents about two students, so year-to-year swings should be interpreted with some caution. Still, the upward trajectory — especially if middle-grade scores can catch up to high school success — suggests Potlatch Junior/Senior High School is an improving school worth watching.
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