Schools in Zip Code 83442

Zip code 83442 in Rigby, Idaho is served by 7 schools in the Jefferson County Joint District—four elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school—enrolling about 5,800 students. The strongest school is Rigby Middle School, which ranks in the 80th percentile statewide and posts the best middle-school scores in math and ELA, while Rigby High School stands out for exceptionally low chronic absenteeism (4.2%) and strong test scores. Cottonwood Elementary made the biggest one-year leap, rising from the 41st to the 69th percentile, while Harwood Elementary remains a persistent low performer with 1 star and the highest poverty rate.

Academically, every school in the zip code meets or exceeds the state average in math, making math a clear strength. ELA is more uneven, with proficiency ranging from 40.7% at Harwood to 68.4% at Rigby High, and with South Fork Elementary falling slightly below the state average in reading. Chronic absenteeism shows a striking divide by school level: all four elementary schools are above 16%, while the middle and high schools are below 10%. Harwood also has the highest free/reduced lunch rate (40.7%), while Cottonwood has the lowest (23.9%). Student-teacher ratios vary from 23.6 at Rigby High to 16.4 at Farnsworth Middle School, but Harwood's relatively favorable ratio (17.2) has not translated into better results.

Two interesting patterns stand out. Farnsworth Middle School shows strong grade-level growth, with 8th grade math and ELA well above state averages even though its 6th grade math starts below. South Fork has the highest elementary math proficiency but the lowest elementary ELA, an unusual gap. Meanwhile, Jefferson Elementary sits near the state average in most subjects. The district overall ranks solidly in the 61st percentile, but school-level variation is large—from Rigby Middle at the 80th percentile to Harwood at the 26th—showing that district ratings can hide meaningful differences. Elementary attendance is the hidden red flag, and Harwood is clearly the school most in need of targeted support.