Best High Schools in Zip Code 83440

Zip code 83440 in Rexburg, Idaho is home to two very different high schools within the Madison District: Madison Senior High School (grades 10–12, 1,299 students) and Central High School (grades 6–12, 93 students), both operating under a district rated 3 stars and ranked 46th out of 101 districts in Idaho.

Madison Senior High School is the area's traditional comprehensive high school, enrolling over 1,200 students with a relatively low poverty rate (24.9% free/reduced lunch) and exceptionally low chronic absenteeism (3.2%). However, its academic proficiency is deeply concerning: just 12.9% of students are proficient in math, 9.0% in science, and 13.2% in English language arts—all far below district and state averages. In comparison, Central High School is a small alternative school with a much higher poverty rate (63.4%) but a lower student-teacher ratio (12.0:1 vs. 19.4:1), suggesting more individualized attention. Central actually outperforms Madison in science proficiency (25% vs. 9%), though no math or ELA scores are reported for Central. Noticeably, Central receives less per-student funding ($6,683) than Madison ($7,782), despite serving a higher-need population.

The biggest red flag is the disconnect at Madison Senior High School: a school with low poverty, strong attendance, and favorable demographics is posting proficiency rates 30 to 40 points below state averages. This gap warrants deeper investigation into testing cohorts or recent instructional changes. Meanwhile, the identical graduation rate of 82.5% across both schools, the district, and the state appears to be a rounding or reporting artifact rather than a true coincidence. Overall, parents in Rexburg face a choice between a large, well-attended school whose academic results lag expectations, and a small, high-poverty school with promising science outcomes but incomplete data and less funding.