Summary:
Zip code 83261 (Paris, Idaho) is served by two elementary-level schools—Bear Lake On-Line Learning (K-8) and Paris Elementary School (PK-5)—both part of the Bear Lake County District, with a combined enrollment of 358 students.
For parents comparing the two schools, Paris Elementary is the stronger performer across every reported subject. In 2025–2026, Paris posted 46.5% Math proficiency and 56.3% ELA proficiency, both above state averages, while Bear Lake On-Line Learning trailed significantly at 32.2% Math and 43.0% ELA. Paris also has a very low chronic absenteeism rate of 7.8% (state: 13.8%) and, despite more than half of its students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, still outperformed state averages. Notably, Paris’s Math proficiency dropped sharply from 71% the prior year to 46.5%, a change worth monitoring. Meanwhile, Bear Lake On-Line Learning serves more students (224 vs. 134) and has shown steady improvement, moving from the 15th to the 34th percentile in state rankings over three years—but it remains below state averages in Math, Science, and ELA.
Both schools received 2-star ratings, though Paris placed in the 48th percentile and the online school in the 34th percentile. The district as a whole has strong attendance, with Paris’s chronic absenteeism higher than the district average of 4.4% but still far below the state. Data gaps exist: Bear Lake On-Line Learning does not report chronic absenteeism, free/reduced lunch eligibility, spending, or student-teacher ratio, making full comparisons difficult. For parents, the clearest takeaway is that the traditional in-person option in Paris is producing stronger academic results, while the online school is improving but still has ground to cover to reach state benchmarks.
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