Summary:
In zip code 83330, there are two public high schools serving grades 9–12 in Gooding, Idaho, both part of the Gooding Joint District. Gooding High School is a comprehensive high school with 384 students, while Gooding Alternative Learning Center is a much smaller alternative program with just 32 students. The two schools serve very different roles but both face economic need, with free/reduced lunch rates of 44.5% and 50%, respectively.
Academically, Gooding High School is the clear leader in available data. It scores above the state average in math (36% vs. 33.1%) and English language arts (67% vs. 61.3%), but falls short in science (37.5% vs. 41.2% on the end-of-course exam). Its statewide ranking has slipped from 70th percentile (4 stars) in 2021–2022 to 52nd percentile (3 stars) in 2025–2026. The Alternative Learning Center has no test scores reported, but it does report a dramatically higher chronic absenteeism rate of 51.2% — nearly three times the rate at Gooding High School (17.3%) and almost four times the state rate (13.8%). Despite a lower student–teacher ratio (13.2 vs. 17.5), the alternative school struggles with attendance far more than the traditional high school.
Both schools report the same graduation rate of 82.5%, which matches the district and state exactly — a figure that should be interpreted cautiously due to possible rounding or suppression. Gooding High School spends $10,197 per student (2018–2019), while no spending data is available for the Alternative Learning Center. The most striking takeaway is the attendance crisis at the Alternative Learning Center, where roughly one in two students is chronically absent. For parents, this area offers a traditional high school with solid math and ELA results but declining statewide standing, and a smaller alternative school that provides more individualized attention yet faces significant engagement challenges. The district overall is ranked 54th out of 101 Idaho districts.
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