Buhl Middle School

Buhl Middle School serves 298 students in grades 6–8 in the small southern Idaho community of Buhl, operating within the Buhl Joint District. The school currently holds a 1-star rating, ranking 148th out of 174 Idaho middle schools, though it earned a 2-star rating the prior year. Proficiency rates sit below state averages—29.4% in math and 43.8% in English Language Arts compared to 43.1% and 54.0% statewide—but the school's long-term trajectory shows meaningful improvement, rising from the 2nd percentile in 2015–2016 to the 36th percentile in 2024–2025.

One of the school's bright spots is grade-level growth. By 8th grade, ELA proficiency reaches 53.7%, essentially matching the state average of 54.5%, and 8th grade science (40.6%) also lands close to the statewide mark. Math, however, is the school's biggest academic challenge, with gaps of roughly 16 percentage points in 6th and 7th grades compared to the state. Relative to nearby schools, Buhl Middle School outperforms South Hills Middle School, Wendell Middle School, and Jerome Middle School in both subjects, but trails Vera C O'Leary Middle School and Filer Middle School by meaningful margins—this despite spending more per student ($8,358) than both O'Leary and Filer.

Chronic absenteeism is a rising concern, climbing from 9.5% in 2023–2024 to 18.2% in 2025–2026, now above state and district levels. About 55% of Buhl Middle students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school outperforms some schools with even higher poverty rates, indicating effective support for its student population. Buhl has also proven it can improve academic performance: science proficiency surged from 23.2% in 2022–2023 to near-state-average levels. With strong 8th grade results, the school clearly has the capacity to compete statewide; the priorities ahead are shoring up math instruction and keeping more students attending regularly.