Summary:
Zip code 83232 contains just one elementary school, Harold B Lee Elementary School, serving grades PK–5 in the rural Dayton, Idaho area within the West Side Joint District. Harold B Lee Elementary is the only school option here, and it stands out as a high-performing, rapidly improving school that families should feel good about. The school earned a 4-star rating and ranks 45th out of 346 elementary schools statewide, placing it in the 87th percentile—a remarkable jump from its 68th percentile ranking just two years ago. Its district, West Side Joint District, is ranked 5th out of 101 districts in Idaho, giving the school strong local support.
Academically, Harold B Lee Elementary excels especially in math, where 67.3% of students are proficient compared to 43.1% statewide. English language arts proficiency is 70.3%, well above the state’s 54.0% but just slightly below the district’s 71.4%. Science scores in the latest year reached 51.8% for 5th graders, beating the state average of 44.0%. One area to watch is a possible 4th-grade dip: ELA proficiency falls from 74.5% in 3rd grade to 63.9% in 4th grade before rebounding to 73.7% in 5th grade. A similar but milder pattern appears in math. This may just reflect a particular cohort of students, but it’s worth monitoring.
Despite nearly 46% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, chronic absenteeism is only 9.2%—far better than the state average of 13.8%, suggesting strong student engagement and attendance habits. The student-teacher ratio is 21.3 to 1, and per-student spending is $6,142. While science proficiency dipped to 37.5% the prior year, the latest rebound suggests possible year-to-year variation rather than a long-term problem. Overall, Harold B Lee Elementary is an academically strong, improving school in a top-ranked district, with the only cautionary notes being the 4th-grade dip and inconsistent science results across years.
Thank you for your feedback!