Athol Elementary School

Athol Elementary School serves 287 students in grades PK through 5 in Athol, Idaho, and is part of the Lakeland District, a district ranked in the 79th percentile statewide. The school itself ranked 172nd out of 346 Idaho elementary schools for 2025–2026, placing it in the middle of the pack (50th percentile, 3 stars). That puts it behind most of its in-district peers — John Brown Elementary, Betty Kiefer Elementary, Spirit Lake Elementary, and Twin Lakes Elementary all outperform it — though the school has shown in the past it can do much better, earning a 5-star, 91st-percentile ranking back in 2011–2012.

Athol's most pressing issue is chronic absenteeism. In 2025–2026, 17.9% of students were chronically absent, the highest among nearby schools and well above the district average of 12.4%. Only Garwood Elementary came close at 17.4%. Academically, English Language Arts proficiency was 54.5%, essentially matching the state average but about 6 points below the district's 60.7%. Math proficiency was closer to the district average (48.4% vs. 49.4%) and above the state average of 43.1%. Science results have been volatile: the school posted a standout 63.5% science proficiency in 2024–2025, but dropped to 42.9% in 2025–2026.

Notably, Athol's challenges don't appear to stem from poverty or class size. Its free/reduced lunch rate is a moderate 27.2%, and its student-teacher ratio of 16.8 is in line with or better than many neighboring schools that outperform it. The school also spends a relatively high $8,738 per student — more than higher-performing schools like Twin Lakes, Spirit Lake, and Betty Kiefer. With moderate demographics and a strong district to learn from, Athol's biggest opportunities are improving attendance and figuring out why recent gains in math and ELA weren't sustained. It's a school with clear room to grow — and clear evidence it has the capacity to do so.