Idaho Novus Classical Academy

Idaho Novus Classical Academy is a K–6 elementary charter school in Boise, ID, enrolling 338 students and operating as the sole school in the Idaho Novus Classical Academy LLC district. The school ranks 113th out of 346 Idaho elementary schools (67th percentile, 3 stars), while its district ranks in the 82nd percentile of Idaho districts — a gap that reflects solid, but not elite, overall performance.

Academically, Idaho Novus Classical Academy beats the state average in both tested subjects. On the 2025–2026 ISAT, 57.5% of students were proficient in math and 64.5% in English language arts, versus state averages of 43.1% and 54.0%. However, the school is mid-pack among nearby schools: nearby averages are roughly 60.3% in math and 65.4% in ELA. Schools like Eagle Hills Elementary School (79.5% math, 82.2% ELA), Hidden Springs Elementary School (75.8% math, 73.8% ELA), and Collister Elementary School (73.8% math, 77.1% ELA) are clearly ahead. The most striking red flag is a sharp math decline in 5th and 6th grades: proficiency falls to 41.9% and 39.1%, both below the state average, after strong 3rd (70.2%) and 4th grade (66.1%) results. Science proficiency (46.5%) is only modest compared with Collister's 80.9% and Eagle Hills' 73.4%.

English language arts is more consistent, with a standout 7th grade result of 85.1% proficiency versus the state's 56.8%. The school has also shown strong year-over-year growth, with math up 6.1 points and ELA up 6.6 points since last year. With a free/reduced-price lunch rate of 18.6%, the school serves a relatively advantaged population, though chronic absenteeism rose to 15.1% (above the state's 13.8%) while nearby Eagle Hills Elementary School sits at 10.1% and Seven Oaks Elementary at 11.3%. The 5th–6th grade math pattern is worth investigating, especially since attendance and poverty don't fully explain it.