Richard McKenna Charter School - Montessori

Richard McKenna Charter School - Montessori is a small public charter elementary school in Mountain Home, Idaho, serving 164 students in grades K–6. Although it operates under the Idaho Virtual High School Inc. district, it functions as a brick-and-mortar Montessori school. In the 2025–2026 school year, it ranked 202nd out of 346 Idaho elementary schools, earning a 2-star rating and 42nd percentile placement—a drop from the prior year's 3-star, 50th percentile ranking.

Compared with nearby Mountain Home district schools, Richard McKenna holds up reasonably well. It posts higher ELA proficiency than East Elementary School, North Elementary School, and West Elementary School, and outperforms the first two in math as well. Its math score (40%) is just behind West's, while its ELA score (46.9%) is below the state average of 54%. The standout in the area is Stephensen Elementary School, where 71.1% of students are proficient in math and 76.4% in ELA. Richard McKenna also stands out for its grade span: it serves through 6th grade, while most nearby elementaries end at 4th or 5th. Chronic absenteeism is a relative strength at 15.1%, well below the 22–25% range seen at East, North, and West, though above the state average of 13.8%.

The most concerning trend is a steady decline in test scores. Math proficiency fell from 46.1% in 2023–2024 to 40.0% in 2025–2026, and ELA dropped from 57.1% to 46.9% over the same period. A particular red flag is 3rd grade reading: only 29.2% of 3rd graders were proficient in ELA, well below the state average of 48.5%. On a brighter note, the school's science results were excellent—69.6% proficiency in 2024–2025, far above the state average of 42.6%—and upper-grade math and science tend to track near or above state averages. For families seeking a Montessori approach in the Mountain Home area, Richard McKenna offers a moderately sized, community-based alternative with solid attendance and notable strengths in science, but early literacy is an area that needs attention.