Alameda Middle School

Alameda Middle School serves 572 students in grades 6–8 in Pocatello, ID, and is part of the Pocatello District. The school currently ranks 59th out of 174 Idaho middle schools, placing it in the 66th percentile with a 3-star rating. That makes it the second-highest ranked middle school among nearby options, behind Franklin Middle School but ahead of Alpine Academy, Hawthorne Middle School, Irving Middle School, and Aberdeen Middle School. English language arts is a clear strength: 62.8% of students are proficient, well above the district rate of 58% and the state rate of 54%. The 8th-grade ELA results are especially notable at 70.6% proficiency.

Alameda also finishes strong in math and science. While overall math proficiency (44.4%) is roughly in line with district and state averages, 8th-grade math stands out at 50% proficiency, compared to 45.2% for the district and 41.2% for the state. Science is a quieter strength too, with 8th-grade science proficiency at 51.5% versus the state's 42.9%. Among nearby schools, only Franklin Middle School posts higher test scores overall, with 69.4% ELA proficiency and 56.5% math proficiency. Alameda's student-teacher ratio of 17.2 is also favorable, matching Hawthorne and lower than Franklin, Irving, and Alpine Academy.

The biggest concern is chronic absenteeism. At 24.5%, nearly one in four students is chronically absent — dramatically higher than the district rate of 17.9% and nearly double the state rate of 13.8%. The rate has also jumped from 15.9% the previous year. The school serves a moderate and growing share of low-income students, with 46.15% receiving free or reduced lunch, up from about 40% two years earlier. Despite these challenges, test scores remain above state averages, which points to school resilience. Improving attendance would likely allow Alameda to build on its solid academic foundation and climb back toward its previous 4-star rating.