Grace Jordan Elementary

Grace Jordan Elementary is a PK–6 school in Boise, ID, serving about 402 students in a high-poverty area, with nearly all students eligible for free/reduced lunch. It is part of the Boise Independent District, which overall performs better, but Grace Jordan currently ranks 287th out of 346 Idaho elementary schools, placing it at the 17th percentile with a 1-star rating. This places it below many nearby schools, though it outperforms several others with similar demographics, such as Whitney Elementary and Hillcrest Elementary.

Academically, Grace Jordan lags behind district and state averages. In 2025-26, math proficiency was 31.3% versus 46.4% district and 43.1% state; English language arts was 37.7% versus 53.3% and 54.0%. A striking pattern shows strong 3rd grade results—near or above state averages—but a sharp decline by 5th grade, where math drops to 15.6% and science to 17.7%. This suggests the school struggles to sustain early gains. For comparison, nearby Monroe Elementary has nearly identical poverty levels but achieves far higher scores, with 5th grade math at 71.0% and science at 67.7%, highlighting a significant gap.

The one bright spot is chronic absenteeism, which has fallen from 41.0% in 2021-22 to 16.9% in 2025-26—now below the district average of 22.5% and close to the state's 13.8%. This improvement may be helping stabilize math scores, which have edged up slightly. While Grace Jordan faces real challenges, particularly in upper elementary grades, it is not the lowest-performing school in its area. Leaders could learn from Monroe, which spends slightly less per student but gets much better results, suggesting that how resources are used matters more than the amount. Addressing the 3rd-to-5th grade decline and maintaining attendance gains are key priorities.