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Priest River Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-6

281^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 337 Idaho Elementary Schools

Better than 17% of Idaho elementary schools

Summary

Priest River Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 373 students in grades PK-6 in Priest River, Idaho. The school is part of the West Bonner County School District. In recent years, the school's statewide ranking has fluctuated, ranging from 63rd out of 166 Idaho elementary schools in 2020-2021 to 281st out of 337 in the most recent 2024-2025 school year. The school's SchoolDigger rating has also varied, ranging from 0 to 3 stars out of 5.

Priest River Elementary faces several key challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 15.0% to 30.5%, significantly higher than the state average of around 15%. The school's test scores on the ISAT exams are generally below state and district averages, with proficiency rates in math (34.6%), science (32.7%), and English language arts (40.3%) lagging behind in 2024-2025. Additionally, Priest River Elementary has a high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 41.82% to 47.06% in recent years, notably higher than nearby schools like Athol Elementary (29.47%) and Idaho Hill Elementary (30.92%).

While Priest River Elementary struggles in many areas, some nearby schools in the Lake Pend Oreille School District perform significantly better, such as Washington Elementary and Southside Elementary, which have consistently high test scores. Even within the same West Bonner County District, there is a notable difference in performance between Priest River Elementary and Idaho Hill Elementary, with Idaho Hill having higher test scores, lower chronic absenteeism, and a lower percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch.

356

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,553

Per pupil spending ?

50.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

418 Harriet Street
Priest River, ID 83856-6568

(208) 448-1181

District: West Bonner County District

Racial breakdown:

White:

94.7%

Two or more races:

3.4%

Hispanic:

1.4%

See top rated Idaho elementary schools

Compare Priest River Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 34th percentile in 2012 → 17th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Idaho average (37% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (22% vs 15% Idaho)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school37%

District avg38%

Idaho avg47%

281^st of 337

Idaho public elementary schools ?

Bottom 17%▲ up 12 pts since 2015

From bottom 5% (2015) to bottom 17% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Idaho Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Idaho percentile	Rating
2025	19.9	281 of 337	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.9	238 of 301	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.4	185 of 252	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.8	128 of 188	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.4	63 of 166	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	22.4	242 of 292	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	12.5	216 of 240	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	9.5	215 of 226	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	19.8	321 of 357	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	43.0	235 of 354	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	52.1	201 of 359	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	48.3	210 of 356	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	25.2	303 of 349	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	36.1	246 of 335	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Idaho (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts40%-14 vs state

Math35%-9 vs state

Science33%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Priest River Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISAT Math (2025)					ISAT Science (2025)		ISAT English Language Arts (2025)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISAT Math 3rd Grade	ISAT Math 4th Grade	ISAT Math 5th Grade	ISAT Math 6th Grade	ISAT Math All Grades	ISAT Science 5th Grade	ISAT Science All Grades	ISAT English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ISAT English Language Arts 4th Grade	ISAT English Language Arts 5th Grade	ISAT English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISAT English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Priest River Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	418 Harriet Street	Priest River	83856	Bonner County	West Bonner County District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(208) 448-1181	356	20	17.8	50.8%	337 (94.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	12 (3.4%)	19.9	281^st of 337 public elementary schools	16.6%		19.9	238^th of 301 public elementary schools	20.9%	43	31.6	45.5	34.7	25.0	34.6	32.7	32.7	39.0	42.2	38.8	42.4	40.3	$11,553	$2,171	$9,383
Idaho Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	402 East 3rd Street South	Oldtown	83822	Bonner County	West Bonner County District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(208) 437-4227	126	8	15.0	43.7%	112 (88.9%)	1 (0.8%)	7 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.2%)								(n/a)					46.2							45.5	$14,167	$3,117	$11,050
Southside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	Southside School Road	Cocolalla	83813	Bonner County	Lake Pend Oreille School District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(208) 263-3020	170	9	18.1	42.9%	146 (85.9%)	1 (0.6%)	11 (6.5%)	2 (1.2%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (5.3%)	85.1	45^th of 337 public elementary schools	86.6%		72	82^nd of 301 public elementary schools	72.8%	37	82.1			61.5	59.2	59.3	59.3			63.0	80.8	63.7	$9,382	$1,407	$7,975
Spirit Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	32605 North 5th Avenue	Spirit Lake	83869	Kootenai County	Lakeland District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(208) 623-2501	290	17	17.0	37.2%	258 (89.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.2%)	54.3	140^th of 337 public elementary schools	58.5%		56.1	127^th of 301 public elementary schools	57.8%	13	43.2	63.8	45.5		51.1	47.3	47.3	43.2	68.1	58.2		57.6	$8,368	$1,101	$7,267
Sagle Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	550 Sagle Road	Sagle	83860	Bonner County	Lake Pend Oreille School District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(208) 263-2757	264	16	16.6	37.9%	241 (91.3%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.5%)	36	223^rd of 337 public elementary schools	33.8%		32.9	204^th of 301 public elementary schools	32.2%	19	57.1	41.9	30.0	50.0	44.3	35.0	35.0	48.6	44.4	35.9	57.5	46.5	$8,495	$837	$7,658
Lposd Home School Academy	Public	K-8	430 South Division Avenue	Sandpoint	83864	Bonner County	Lake Pend Oreille School District	No	No	(n/a)	No	(208) 263-2184	4	1	4.0		4 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													$85,047	$109	$84,938
Farmin Stidwell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1626 Spruce Street	Sandpoint	83864	Bonner County	Lake Pend Oreille School District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(208) 265-2417	510	29	17.5	54.1%	431 (84.5%)	2 (0.4%)	49 (9.6%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	21 (4.1%)	49.5	166^th of 337 public elementary schools	50.7%		56.8	124^th of 301 public elementary schools	58.8%	42	50.0	57.9	35.1	56.9	49.0	40.5	40.5	48.5	58.9	55.4	58.6	55.1	$9,557	$1,587	$7,971
Washington Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	420 South Boyer Avenue	Sandpoint	83864	Bonner County	Lake Pend Oreille School District	No	No	(n/a)	No	(208) 263-4759	329	17	19.4	35.6%	282 (85.7%)	2 (0.6%)	30 (9.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.0%)	89.8	26^th of 337 public elementary schools	92.3%		91.2	25^th of 301 public elementary schools	91.7%	1	70.8	56.6	77.6	87.2	72.6	73.5	73.5	66.7	71.7	83.7	83.0	76.1	$8,283	$578	$7,705
Athol Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6333 East Menser Avenue	Athol	83801	Kootenai County	Lakeland District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(208) 683-2231	287	17	16.8	27.2%	257 (89.5%)	2 (0.7%)	14 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (4.2%)	61.1	113^th of 337 public elementary schools	66.5%		40.3	180^th of 301 public elementary schools	40.2%	67	57.1	40.7	59.6		52.5	63.5	63.5	60.7	44.4	65.4		56.8	$8,738	$1,107	$7,630

Frequently Asked Questions about Priest River Elementary School

Is Priest River Elementary School a good school?

Priest River Elementary School ranks in the bottom 16.6% of Idaho elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Priest River Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Priest River Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Priest River Lamanna High

What district is Priest River Elementary School in?

West Bonner County District

What is the racial makeup of Priest River Elementary School?

Students at Priest River Elementary School are 95% White, 3% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic.

How many students attend Priest River Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 356 students attended Priest River Elementary School.

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Schools in Priest River, ID

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Idaho Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.