Soda Springs Joint District

Soda Springs Joint District is a small Idaho district serving about 843 students across four schools spanning grades PK-12, and it sits exactly at the state’s 50th percentile in ranking — a solid “average” rating that masks wide differences between schools.

The district’s strongest school by rank is Soda Springs High School, which has consistently earned 4 stars and placed at the 85th percentile of Idaho high schools. It leads the district in science, with 62.5% proficiency versus 41.2% statewide, and has a low poverty rate at 21.8% free/reduced lunch. Tigert Middle School is the strongest current performer among non-high schools, ranking at the 63rd percentile and posting strong science (56.4%) and 8th grade math (57.4%) results. Its chronic absenteeism is just 3.8%, far below the state’s 13.8%. In contrast, Howard E Thirkill Primary School ranks at the 26th percentile, making it the district’s weakest link by rank. However, its ELA proficiency jumped from 34.1% to 47.8% in one year — the largest swing in the district — and its 4th grade ELA is above state average. CTE Prep School is a tiny alternative program with only 20 students, a 36.4% graduation rate, and 33.3% chronic absenteeism, though it offers a much lower 10.3:1 student-teacher ratio.

Across the three mainstream schools, chronic absenteeism is remarkably low (2.8%–5.3%), and science is a clear district strength at both Tigert and the high school. However, math and ELA generally hover near or below state averages, especially elementary math. Notably, Thirkill has the highest per-student spending ($8,957) yet also the highest student-teacher ratio (20.7), while Tigert spends the least ($7,337) with a lower ratio. Families should know that the elementary and middle schools serve populations with about 40% free/reduced lunch eligibility, while the high school reports only 21.8%. The biggest opportunities for improvement lie in elementary math and ELA, while the district’s science instruction is a proven model of success.