Aberdeen Elementary School

Aberdeen Elementary School serves 274 students in grades PK through 5 in the small, rural community of Aberdeen, Idaho, and is part of the Aberdeen District. The school has historically been a low performer, but the most recent data shows a striking upward trend. In 2025-2026, Aberdeen achieved its best ranking in over a decade, jumping from the 12th percentile to the 27th percentile statewide—the largest positive shift among all comparable nearby schools. This improvement is particularly notable given that the school faces significant demographic challenges, with 73.7% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch.

Academically, 39.8% of students are proficient in Math and 42.1% in English Language Arts (ELA), both below state averages but showing real momentum. The school's Math proficiency actually exceeds its own district average, suggesting a relative strength in math instruction. A distinctive bright spot is the 5th grade class, which exceeds state averages in both subjects, with ELA proficiency at 56.5% compared to the state's 55.2%. In contrast, 4th grade performance is notably weak, suggesting students may experience significant growth in the upper elementary grades. While proficiency scores fluctuate year-to-year with such a small student body, the overall trajectory is promising. The school also benefits from a favorable student-teacher ratio of 14.4, lower than most nearby Pocatello District schools, and spends more per student ($9,042) than those same schools.

The primary area of concern remains chronic absenteeism. At 15.4%, Aberdeen's rate is higher than every nearby school with available data, including Chubbuck Elementary (9.1%) and Connor Academy (5.4%). Encouragingly, absenteeism has dropped dramatically from 26.0% just a few years ago, and this improvement correlates with rising test scores. Despite its higher poverty levels, Aberdeen's outcomes are not the lowest among peer schools—Jefferson Elementary has a similar poverty rate but lower proficiency in both subjects. This suggests the school's recent gains are the result of effective, targeted efforts worth watching.