Best Public Schools in Zip Code 83347

ZIP code 83347 contains 2 schools within the Minidoka County Joint District, serving elementary and middle school students in the Paul, Idaho area, with no high schools or alternative schools in the ZIP code. The district ranks 94 out of 101 Idaho districts (7th percentile), indicating significant academic challenges compared with the rest of the state.

West Minico Middle School serves grades 6–8 with 506 students and shows notable strengths in 8th grade, where ELA proficiency reached 50.4%, nearly matching the state average of 54.5% and outpacing the district by 12.6 points. Its 8th-grade math (33.6%) and science (35.8%) also exceeded district averages by substantial margins. Chronic absenteeism at West Minico Middle School is just 10.5%, lower than both the district (14.5%) and state (13.8%). Paul Elementary School, serving grades PK–5 with 457 students, outperformed the district in all three tested subjects in 2024–2025, but saw major declines in 2025–2026, with math proficiency falling from 35.5% to 25.7% and science dropping from 37.2% to 27.0%.

Both schools trail Idaho state averages by roughly 14–18 percentage points in math and ELA. Paul Elementary School shows particular weakness in early elementary math: 3rd-grade proficiency was 23.4% versus the state's 50.9% (a 27.5-point gap), while 5th-grade math was 17.6% versus the state's 42.2%. However, 4th-grade math was a relative bright spot at 37.3%, above the district's 32.4%. Chronic absenteeism at Paul Elementary School is high at 16.9%, exceeding both district (14.5%) and state (13.8%) rates, which may be a contributing factor to its recent declines. Both schools serve high-poverty populations, with free/reduced lunch rates of 62.65% at West Minico Middle School and 54.27% at Paul Elementary School. West Minico Middle School's lower absenteeism and stronger 8th-grade results—combined with Paul Elementary School's district-relative success in 2024–2025—provide building blocks for improvement despite the overall low rankings. Spending data from 2018–2019 shows $7,271 per student at West Minico Middle School and $6,657 at Paul Elementary School, though these figures are outdated.