Ridge Crest Elementary School

Ridge Crest Elementary School is a PK-5 school in Blackfoot, ID, serving 359 students within the Blackfoot School District. The district ranks in the lower-middle tier of Idaho schools, and Ridge Crest itself has earned a consistent 2-star state rating in recent years, placing it near the 31st to 38th percentile statewide.

Academically, Ridge Crest is a mixed picture with one clear strength: math. The school has beaten the Idaho state average in math for four straight years, posting 45.3% proficiency in 2025-26 compared to 43.1% statewide. That is especially notable given that 54.3% of students qualify for free/reduced-price lunch, a higher rate than nearby Wapello Elementary School or Groveland Elementary School. English language arts, however, is a persistent weakness: 43.2% proficiency versus 54.0% statewide, with a 7-to-11 point gap over the last four years. The most concerning trend is a 5th-grade slump. While 3rd and 4th graders match or exceed state averages in math, 5th-grade math drops to 35.9% (state: 42.2%), and 5th-grade ELA falls to 37.5% (state: 55.2%). Nearby A W Johnson Elementary School posts much stronger ELA scores, and Wapello shows far better 5th-grade results across all subjects.

On the positive side, chronic absenteeism has improved dramatically, from 22.0% in 2021-22 to 10.1% in 2025-26—lower than the district (11.4%) and state (13.8%) averages, and better than nearby schools like Groveland (15.9%), Riverbend Elementary, and Donald D Stalker Elementary. Ridge Crest also outperforms higher-poverty neighbors such as Stalker and Blackfoot Charter Community in math, despite spending less per student and having larger class sizes. In the local school landscape, Ridge Crest sits solidly in the middle—above Riverbend but below Wapello. The school’s biggest opportunities are clear: strengthen upper-elementary instruction, especially in ELA and science, and build on the early-grade success that is already driving its math advantage.