Summary:
Zip code 83213, serving the Arco, Idaho area, is home to just one high school: Butte County Middle/High School. This small, rural school enrolls 186 students in grades 7 through 12 and is part of the Butte County Joint District. With a student–teacher ratio of 11.2 to 1, students benefit from relatively small class sizes and the potential for more individualized attention.
Academically, the school shows a clear strength in English Language Arts, with a 71.7% proficiency rate, significantly higher than the state average of 54.0%. Seventh graders are particularly strong, posting 80% proficiency in ELA and 72% in math, compared to state averages of 56.8% and 43.6%. However, there is a notable drop in math proficiency by 8th grade, where the school falls below the state average. Science results are mixed: 8th graders outperform the state, but only 28.6% of students are proficient on the End-of-Course science exam, well below the state's 41.2%. The school's graduation rate of 82.5% matches the state average exactly, and its overall performance has improved recently, with math proficiency up 8.6 points and ELA up 6.2 points over the past year.
One area of concern is chronic absenteeism. At 18.8%, the school's rate is higher than both the district (16.7%) and the state (13.8%). In a school of only 186 students, this equates to roughly 35 students who are regularly missing school, and targeted attendance efforts could have a meaningful impact. The school is currently ranked in the 46th percentile of Idaho high schools, while its district ranks in the 65th percentile of districts, a mismatch that may reflect differences in how school- and district-level metrics are calculated. Overall, Butte County Middle/High School offers strong literacy instruction and impressive 7th-grade results, but would benefit from additional support in high school science and in reducing chronic absenteeism.
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