Kootenai Junior/Senior High School

Kootenai Junior/Senior High School is a small rural school in Harrison, Idaho, serving just 111 students across grades 6–12 in the Kootenai District. Historically a top performer—with 5-star ratings and rankings in the 92nd–96th percentile in the late 2000s and early 2010s—the school has settled into the upper-middle tier of Idaho high schools, ranking 41st out of 112 schools (63rd percentile) in 2024–25. The school posted a perfect 100% graduation rate for four straight years through 2023–24, though that rate dropped to 82.5% in 2024–25.

Compared with nearby schools, Kootenai comes out ahead on almost every measure. In 2024–25, math proficiency was 43.3%, well above St Maries High School's 26.6%, and science proficiency hit 55.2% versus St. Maries' 41.3%. ELA proficiency was 60%, compared to 57.8% at St. Maries and just 36.7% at Lakeside High School. Kootenai also serves a more economically advantaged population, with a 36% free/reduced lunch rate versus 46.1% at St. Maries and 70.4% at Lakeside. Chronic absenteeism (22.1%) is above the state average but far better than Lakeside's 44.1% or St. Maries' 42.4%.

Kootenai offers strong instructional resources, spending $19,682 per student with an 11.1 student–teacher ratio—better than St. Maries' $11,149 and 14.1 ratio. The main concerns are a multi-year slide in test scores (ELA fell from 66.7% in 2022–23 to 52.1% in 2025–26, and math from 52.6% to 36.7%) and chronic absenteeism at roughly 1.5 times the state rate. Given the tiny cohort size—around 16 students per grade—these trends could reverse quickly with targeted support, but they also make each year's results especially significant.