Wendell Elementary School

Wendell Elementary School is a PK-4 public school in Wendell, Idaho, serving 429 students within the Wendell District, which ranks among the lowest-performing districts in the state. The school itself ranks in the 5th percentile of Idaho elementary schools and faces significant economic disadvantage, with 80.2% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch — the highest rate among nearby elementary schools. For comparison, Summit Elementary in Jerome is at 75%, while Rock Creek Elementary has just 31.8%. The student-teacher ratio is about 19 to 1, which is average for the region.

Academically, Wendell posts proficiency rates below state averages: 24% in math and 36.3% in English Language Arts, versus state averages of 43.1% and 54%. However, the school consistently outperforms its own district averages, making it a relative leader within the Wendell District. Its ELA proficiency exceeds several peer schools, including Frontier Elementary (23.8%), Summit Elementary (27%), and Jefferson Elementary (28.2%). Math is the bigger concern, with only Summit, Heritage Academy, and Frontier at or below Wendell's 24% proficiency rate. The gap between Wendell's reading and math scores is one of the largest in the region.

Chronic absenteeism stands at 14.4%, above the state average of 13.8% but far below Popplewell Elementary (21.2%) and Summit Elementary (20.7%). Wendell also differs from peers by serving only through 4th grade, while most nearby elementary schools extend through 5th. Despite its challenges, the school has shown resilience in reading, maintaining ELA proficiency in the mid-to-high 30s for four consecutive years. Its ELA score nearly matches Popplewell Elementary (36.0%), which has a much lower poverty rate. The clearest opportunity for improvement lies in math: proficiency at 3rd and 4th grades (25.5% and 22.1%) trails state averages by roughly 25 points, suggesting that targeted math intervention could yield meaningful gains.