Ponderosa Elementary School

Ponderosa Elementary School serves 466 students in grades PK–5 in Post Falls, ID, and currently ranks near the middle of Idaho elementary schools after seeing its statewide standing decline significantly over the past decade. The school’s math proficiency (49.6%) actually beats both the Post Falls District (45.8%) and the state (43.1%), but English language arts (52.2%) and 5th-grade science (39.8%) trail district averages. Ponderosa was once a high-performing school ranking in the 80th percentile statewide, but as its student population has changed, its scores have settled near the median.

Ponderosa faces more challenges than most nearby schools. It has the highest rate of economically disadvantaged students (59.2% free/reduced lunch) among its comparison group, a rate that jumped 20 points in just two years. Chronic absenteeism, while improving sharply from 25.1% to 16.4% in the latest year, remains the highest among nearby schools and above the state average of 13.8%. The school also has the largest class sizes in the area at 21.1 students per teacher, and per-student spending of $7,250 is well below peers like Seltice Elementary ($8,850) and Mullan Trail Elementary ($8,185).

Despite these obstacles, Ponderosa is doing reasonably well in math compared with lower-poverty neighbors such as West Ridge Elementary, Greensferry Elementary, and Prairie View Elementary. The most pressing academic gap is science, which has lagged the district by 6 to 16 points for several years. Ponderosa also shows a persistent gender gap, with male students scoring well below female students on state tests across multiple years. The good news is that chronic absenteeism dropped dramatically this year, which could help boost future reading and science scores if the trend continues. Parents considering this school should know it is a hard-working school serving a higher-need population, with solid math instruction and clear room for growth in literacy and science.