Howard E Thirkill Primary School

Howard E Thirkill Primary School serves 321 students in grades PK–4 in Soda Springs, Idaho, a small rural community in the Soda Springs Joint District, which ranks in the middle of Idaho districts. The school itself, however, faces significant academic challenges: it earned a 1-star rating and ranked in the 26th percentile of Idaho elementary schools for 2025–2026. About 41% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch — a moderate level of economic need — and the school operates with a relatively high student-teacher ratio of 20.7 to 1, suggesting larger class sizes and less individualized attention than families might find at nearby schools.

Compared with nearby elementary schools, Thirkill's academic performance trails by wide margins. In 2025–2026, only 38.1% of Thirkill students were proficient in math and 47.8% in English language arts. That is far below Black Canyon Elementary School (58.5% math, 63.2% ELA), North Gem Elementary (65.4% math), and Georgetown Elementary School (64.5% math, 74.2% ELA). This gap is especially notable because Thirkill's poverty rate is actually lower than Black Canyon's 48.6% and Georgetown's 45.1%. Math is a particular concern, with proficiency consistently below state averages in both 3rd and 4th grades. A bright spot: 4th grade ELA proficiency reached 52.9%, slightly above the state average of 50.2%.

On a more positive note, Thirkill has achieved a remarkable attendance turnaround. After four consecutive years of chronic absenteeism above 16%, the rate dropped to just 2.8% in 2025–2026 — far below the state average of 13.8% and lower than any nearby comparison school. This suggests a major improvement in getting students to school regularly. However, those attendance gains have not yet translated into higher test scores, which may mean academic improvements will take time to follow. For parents, the picture is mixed: Thirkill is clearly behind its rural peers academically, but the school's dramatic attendance progress shows it can make significant changes. The biggest opportunity lies in building on that momentum to strengthen math instruction and early-grade reading.