Cynthia Mann Elementary School

Cynthia Mann Elementary School is a PK–6 school in Boise's West Bench/North Boise area serving 412 students within the Boise Independent District. The school currently holds a 4-star rating, ranking 88th of 346 Idaho elementary schools in the 75th percentile — and it consistently outperforms district and state averages. Math proficiency stands at 57.5% versus 46.4% for the district and 43.1% for the state; ELA proficiency is 60.5% versus 53.3% district and 54.0% state; and 5th-grade science proficiency is 60.3% versus 48.1% district and 44.0% state. Upper grades are especially strong, with 6th-grade math proficiency hitting 65.6%, a 23-point advantage over the state.

Among nearby schools, only Collister Elementary School — ranked 6th statewide — outperforms Cynthia Mann. Cynthia Mann clearly outpaces Lowell Elementary School, Mountain View Elementary School, Shadow Hills Elementary, Pierce Park Elementary School, Taft Elementary School, and Morley Nelson Elementary, as well as the nearby charter schools Future Public School and Anser Charter School. At $11,125 per student, Cynthia Mann spends more than most neighbors — although less than Taft, which produces far lower scores.

The two biggest concerns are chronic absenteeism and a gender-based achievement gap. Cynthia Mann's chronic absenteeism rate is 23.9%, well above the state's 13.8% and closer to the area's lowest-performing schools than to its high-performing peers. Meanwhile, the school's female students rank substantially below its male students in statewide subgroup comparisons — an equity issue worth investigating. On a positive note, Cynthia Mann is becoming more economically diverse, with 35.4% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch (up from 27.9% two years ago), yet test scores have continued to rise. Reducing absenteeism is the clearest opportunity for this strong school to become truly elite.