Summary:
ZIP code 83402 in Idaho Falls is home to Ethel Boyes Elementary School, Westside Elementary School, Fox Hollow Elementary School, Hawthorne Elementary School, A H Bush Elementary School, Temple View Elementary School, and the charter school Alturas International Academy. These seven schools serve roughly 3,000 students in grades PK-6 (K-5 at Alturas), with six belonging to the Idaho Falls District and Alturas operating under the Alturas International Academy Inc. district.
The academic landscape splits into two clear tiers. Alturas International Academy is the overall leader, ranking 94th in the state with strong math and ELA scores (50.4% and 67.6% proficient) and a 58% fifth-grade science rate. Westside Elementary School is the best traditional district school, ranking 110th, with 52.5% math and 59.9% ELA proficiency, plus the lowest chronic absenteeism in the ZIP. At the other end, Ethel Boyes Elementary School and A H Bush Elementary School rank near the bottom of the state, with proficiency rates around 27-34% and high poverty levels.
Poverty and attendance strongly track achievement across these schools. The two highest-performing schools have the lowest free/reduced lunch rates, while the lowest performers have the highest. Chronic absenteeism averages 19.2% in the ZIP, well above the state’s 13.8%, and six of seven schools exceed that state rate. Grade-level performance is also uneven, with some schools like Temple View Elementary School showing dramatic swings from 14.3% third-grade math to 67.5% by sixth grade. Notably, higher spending and smaller classes do not guarantee success—Hawthorne Elementary School spends the most per student yet posts low scores, while Alturas and Westside outperform with larger classes and lower spending.
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