Homedale High School

Homedale High School is a small rural high school in Homedale, Idaho, serving about 400 students in grades 9–12, and it is the only high school in the Homedale Joint District. For the 2025–26 school year, the school ranked 110th out of 122 Idaho high schools, placing it in the bottom 10 percent of the state, and it has consistently earned a 1-star rating since 2021–22.

Academically, Homedale's biggest challenge is math and science. Only 14.9 percent of students scored proficient in math and 18.2 percent in science on the 2025–26 ISAT exams, compared to state averages of 33.1 percent and 41.2 percent. Nearby schools with similar rural, small-town profiles do much better: Parma High School posted 28.6 percent math proficiency and 47.1 percent in science, while Marsing High School and Notus Junior/Senior High School also posted math scores roughly double Homedale's. English language arts is a relative strength — 48.3 percent proficiency, closer to the state's 61.3 percent — but still trails peers like Parma (65.7 percent) and Marsing (66.1 percent).

Attendance is a clear bright spot: Homedale's chronic absenteeism rate dropped to just 7.6 percent in 2025–26, well below the state average of 13.8 percent and better than most nearby schools. However, the school has a high student-teacher ratio of 19.3 and spends less per student ($8,109) than Parma, Marsing, and Notus, which all spend over $9,000. With students showing up but test scores still low, the issue appears to be about instructional support and resources rather than attendance. The recently reported 82.5 percent graduation rate is worth watching, though similar figures appear across the region, which may point to a data reporting change rather than a genuine decline. Homedale's path forward likely lies in strengthening STEM instruction, lowering class sizes, and building on its relative strength in reading.