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Whitney Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-6

301^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 346 Idaho Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of Idaho elementary schools

Summary

Whitney Elementary School in Boise, ID serves approximately 469 students in grades PK–6 within the Boise Independent District. The school serves a very high-poverty population — nearly 98% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch — and sits near the bottom of Idaho's elementary school rankings, placing in the 13th percentile with a 1-star rating for 2025–2026, a pattern that has persisted for the past decade.

Academically, Whitney's proficiency rates lag well behind district and state averages in math, English language arts, and science. In 2025–2026, math proficiency was 31.7% compared to 43.1% statewide, and ELA proficiency was 37.3% versus 54.0% statewide. However, performance varies by grade: 4th grade math (39.1%) and 4th grade ELA (46.0%) are relative bright spots, while 3rd grade math (26.9%) and 5th grade ELA (31.1%) show significant gaps. What makes these numbers particularly striking is that nearby schools serving similar poverty levels achieve far stronger results — Hawthorne Elementary School (0.8 miles away) posts 55.9% math and 63.6% ELA proficiency, and Monroe Elementary School (0.6 miles away) achieves 54.4% math and 51.2% ELA, both with free/reduced-price lunch rates above 97%. This suggests the achievement gap at Whitney is not inevitable.

Whitney has made genuine progress in reducing chronic absenteeism, dropping from 44.0% in 2021–2022 to 22.9% in 2025–2026, though it remains above the state average of 13.8%. Per-student spending of $9,659 is on the lower end compared to nearby schools such as Owyhee Elementary School ($13,218) and Garfield Elementary School ($13,098), and the student-teacher ratio of 17.0 is higher than several higher-performing neighbors. One encouraging sign is that Hispanic students at Whitney ranked in the 72nd percentile statewide in 2023–2024, earning 4 stars — an indicator that the school is serving that population relatively well. With long-term structural challenges and clear models of success nearby, Whitney represents an opportunity for targeted intervention and support.

469

Students ?

17.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,659

Per pupil spending ?

97.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1609 South Owyhee Street
Boise, ID 83705-3058

(208) 854-6580

District: Boise Independent District

Students who attend Whitney Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	South Junior High School
High:	Borah Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.2%

Hispanic:

40.1%

African American:

8.3%

See top rated Idaho elementary schools

Compare Whitney Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 15th percentile in 2016 → 13th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Idaho average (34% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (23% vs 14% Idaho)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg49%

Idaho avg47%

301^st of 346

Idaho public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Idaho Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

23^rd of 31Elementary Schools in the Boise Independent District

41^st of 101Boise Independent District among Idaho districts

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
2026	18.0	301 of 346	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.1	293 of 337	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.9	258 of 301	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.9	207 of 252	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.7	169 of 188	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	5.0	164 of 166	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.4	160 of 171	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.5	192 of 254	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.0	253 of 292	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	17.4	205 of 240	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	31.0	163 of 226	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	34.7	277 of 357	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.7	301 of 354	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	22.6	317 of 359	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	27.5	297 of 356	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	11.4	338 of 349	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	14.9	315 of 335	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Idaho percentile	Rating
2018	20.4	104 of 121	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Idaho percentile	Rating
2024	53.5	16 of 58	72.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Idaho percentile	Rating
2018	10.8	116 of 121	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Idaho percentile	Rating
2024	20.5	107 of 135	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.2	26 of 37	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	16.7	26 of 31	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Hispanic (2024)72nd percentile+58 vs school

White (2024)21st percentile+6 vs school

Female (2018)14th percentile-10 vs school

Male (2018)4th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs Idaho (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts37%-17 vs state

Science34%-10 vs state

Math32%-11 vs state

4.5

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, March 20, 2014

TEACHERS are exceptional and are very easy to communicate with. The problem for low ratings is because of so many different ethnic children, which I suspect whose parents do not take the time to help their children with their homework, because they are not literate in the English language.

My great grandson has been attending this school (3 yrs) and does his homework every evening and has always been at least two grade levels above required score in reding. He has a single Dad that cares and loves him to ensue he is doing his required homework.

A teacher can only instruct them, the rest is up to the student and parent. Close Quote

Schools Near Whitney Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ISAT Math (2026)					ISAT Science (2026)			ISAT English Language Arts (2026)						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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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 8th 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 7th Grade	ISAT English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Whitney Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1609 South Owyhee Street	Boise	83705	Ada County	Boise Independent District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(208) 854-6580	469	27	17.0	97.9%	212 (45.2%)	39 (8.3%)	188 (40.1%)	4 (0.9%)	4 (0.9%)	3 (0.6%)	19 (4.1%)	18	301^st of 346 public elementary schools	13.0%		17.1	293^rd of 337 public elementary schools	13.1%	8	26.9	39.1	25.0	37.3	31.7	33.9			34.8	46.0	31.1	37.3		37.3	$9,659	$1,588	$8,070
Monroe Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3615 Cassia Street	Boise	83705	Ada County	Boise Independent District	No	No	(n/a)	No	(208) 854-5620	206	13	15.8	98.5%	169 (82.0%)	3 (1.5%)	17 (8.3%)	3 (1.5%)	1 (0.5%)	9 (4.4%)	4 (1.9%)	57.8	139^th of 346 public elementary schools	59.8%		58.2	128^th of 337 public elementary schools	62.0%	11	56.0	52.8	71.0	39.4	54.4	67.7			47.8	50.0	64.5	42.4		51.2	$9,266	$580	$8,686
Hawthorne Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2401 Targee Street	Boise	83705	Ada County	Boise Independent District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(208) 854-5000	264	18	14.3	97.7%	166 (62.9%)	4 (1.5%)	38 (14.4%)	38 (14.4%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	16 (6.1%)	73.6	75^th of 346 public elementary schools	78.3%		64.3	102^nd of 337 public elementary schools	69.7%	27	57.8	58.1	57.1	50.0	55.9	71.4			64.4	61.4	74.3	55.3		63.6	$11,303	$1,281	$10,022
Owyhee Early Learning Center	Public	PK-K	3434 Pasadena Drive	Boise	83705	Ada County	Boise Independent District	No	No	(n/a)	No	(208) 854-5850	167	14	11.9	96.4%	102 (61.1%)	4 (2.4%)	34 (20.4%)	12 (7.2%)	1 (0.6%)	3 (1.8%)	11 (6.6%)								(n/a)															$13,218	$1,818	$11,400
Hillcrest Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2045 South Pond Street	Boise	83705	Ada County	Boise Independent District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(208) 854-5080	299	19	15.3	98.7%	179 (59.9%)	43 (14.4%)	46 (15.4%)	12 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.4%)	8.5	333^rd of 346 public elementary schools	3.8%		15.2	305^th of 337 public elementary schools	9.5%	28	32.7			33.3	23.3	20.8			25.5	17.1	25.0	37.0		26.8	$10,972	$1,876	$9,096
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	200 South Latah Street	Boise	83705	Ada County	Boise Independent District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(208) 854-5260	228	16	13.8	98.7%	124 (54.4%)	34 (14.9%)	47 (20.6%)	9 (3.9%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.3%)	11.4	324^th of 346 public elementary schools	6.4%		17.4	292^nd of 337 public elementary schools	13.4%	32	30.6	32.3	19.2	29.0	28.2	23.1			30.6	29.0	34.6	45.2		34.7	$12,207	$3,030	$9,177
Peace Valley Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	1845 South Federal Way	Boise	83705	Ada County	Peace Valley Charter School Inc.	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(208) 205-8818	192	11	16.8		149 (77.6%)	3 (1.6%)	21 (10.9%)	7 (3.6%)	4 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.2%)	43	194^th of 346 public elementary schools	43.9%		34.5	226^th of 337 public elementary schools	32.9%	32			33.3	31.3	25.5	40.7	58.3	46.2			63.0	62.5	57.1	45.9	$7,081	$126	$6,955
Garfield Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1914 Broadway Avenue	Boise	83706	Ada County	Boise Independent District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(208) 854-4950	278	20	13.7	96.8%	138 (49.6%)	46 (16.5%)	60 (21.6%)	17 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.1%)	9.7	329^th of 346 public elementary schools	4.9%		7.7	326^th of 337 public elementary schools	3.3%	3	36.8	21.1			18.8					30.6				26.1	$13,098	$2,388	$10,710
Grace Jordan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	6411 West Fairfield	Boise	83709	Ada County	Boise Independent District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(208) 854-5580	402	23	17.5	98.8%	232 (57.7%)	31 (7.7%)	104 (25.9%)	12 (3.0%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.5%)	22	287^th of 346 public elementary schools	17.1%		16	299^th of 337 public elementary schools	11.3%	12	56.0	30.3	15.6	28.8	31.3	17.7			51.0	29.3	23.4	52.5		37.7	$9,698	$1,751	$7,947
White Pine Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	401 East Linden Street	Boise	83706	Ada County	Boise Independent District	No	No	(n/a)	No	(208) 854-6530	555	30	18.2	29.5%	319 (57.5%)	43 (7.7%)	69 (12.4%)	80 (14.4%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (7.2%)	77.2	64^th of 346 public elementary schools	81.5%		74.1	72^nd of 337 public elementary schools	78.6%	8	67.1	58.3	60.9	62.4	62.1	59.1			61.9	57.1	65.9	67.1		63.1	$10,191	$708	$9,483

Frequently Asked Questions about Whitney Elementary School

Is Whitney Elementary School a good school?

Whitney Elementary School ranks in the bottom 13.0% of Idaho elementary schools.

What district is Whitney Elementary School in?

Boise Independent District

What is the racial makeup of Whitney Elementary School?

Students at Whitney Elementary School are 45% White, 40% Hispanic, 8% African American, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend Whitney Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 469 students attended Whitney Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Whitney Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Whitney Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : South Junior High School
High : Borah Senior High School

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Latest Idaho data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataAug 19, 2026

2025–26 ISAT test scoresAug 19, 2026

2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesJan 19, 2026

2024–25 ISAT test scoresAug 26, 2025

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.