Summary:
Wendell District in Idaho is served by a single high school, Wendell High School, which enrolls 325 students in grades 9 through 12 and currently ranks in the bottom 4% of Idaho districts (97th out of 101). Because it is the district's only high school, district-level figures for test scores, graduation, and chronic absenteeism match the school's numbers exactly. Wendell High serves a majority low-income student population, with 61.23% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch.
Academically, Wendell High School is struggling significantly, particularly in STEM subjects. In the most recent End of Course testing, math proficiency stood at just 14.8% compared to 33.1% statewide, while science proficiency reached only 15.9% versus 41.2% statewide. English Language Arts is a relative bright spot, though still trailing the state at 38.6% versus 61.3%. The school's statewide ranking tells a striking story: it earned a 4-star rating and ranked 42nd out of 159 schools in 2023–2024, but collapsed to 0 stars and the bottom 5% in both 2024–2025 and 2025–2026. The graduation rate of 82.5% matches the state average exactly, meaning roughly one in six students does not graduate on time.
Despite these academic struggles, Wendell High School has one genuinely positive outlier: chronic absenteeism is just 5.9%, less than half the state rate of 13.8% and well below the district's 11.7%. This shows students are showing up consistently, which suggests attendance is not driving the academic struggles. The school's prior-year ELA performance (42.7% proficiency, above the district average of 35%) demonstrates capacity to outperform in certain subjects. With math and science proficiency below 16%, these are clearly the most urgent areas for improvement. Per-student spending data is outdated (2018–2019 figure of $9,310), and the student-teacher ratio of 16.3 is moderate, leaving limited conclusions about staffing impacts.
Thank you for your feedback!