Middle Schools in Twin Falls District

The Twin Falls District is home to four middle schools—Vera C O'Leary Middle School, Robert Stuart Middle School, South Hills Middle School, and Bridge Academy—serving roughly 2,000 students across grades 6–8 (though Bridge Academy serves only grades 7–8), with the district ranking 59th out of 101 Idaho districts, slightly below the state median. The four schools vary dramatically in size, from O'Leary's 758 students to Bridge Academy's 48, and in academic performance, with math proficiency ranging from 17.6% to 46.7% and ELA proficiency from 27.4% to 61.2%.

Vera C O'Leary Middle School is the clear academic leader, ranking 60th in the state and exceeding both district and state averages in math, ELA, and science, while keeping chronic absenteeism at just 13.8%. At the other end of the spectrum, South Hills Middle School ranks 165th out of 166 Idaho middle schools with a 0-star rating; only 17.6% of its students are proficient in math—a 29-point gap behind O'Leary. Robert Stuart Middle School sits in the middle and shows positive momentum, with math proficiency rising from 33.8% to 36.4% and ELA from 42.6% to 46.8%, though it remains below state averages. Bridge Academy has no recent test scores, so its academics cannot be directly compared, but its 67.3% chronic absenteeism rate—nearly five times the state average—is deeply concerning.

Across the district, poverty and absenteeism move closely with achievement. O'Leary has the lowest free/reduced lunch rate (36.3%) and absenteeism, while South Hills and Bridge Academy have the highest poverty rates and the highest absenteeism. Notably, the lower-performing schools actually receive more funding and have smaller class sizes—Bridge Academy spends $10,910 per student with a 9.6:1 student-teacher ratio versus O'Leary's $7,074 and 20.1:1—yet those resources have not closed the gaps. The data suggest chronic absenteeism is one of the most important levers for improvement, particularly at South Hills and Bridge Academy, and that addressing attendance may be critical to lifting outcomes across the district.