Summary:
Zip code 83501, covering Lewiston, Idaho, is served by two public middle schools—Jenifer Middle School and Sacajawea Middle School—both spanning grades 6–8 within the highly rated Lewiston Independent District.
The clear standout is Sacajawea Middle School, which holds a 4-star rating and an 84th-percentile state ranking, placing it among Idaho’s top middle schools. Sacajawea outperforms Jenifer Middle School in every academic subject and year with comparable data. In the latest year, Sacajawea posted 61.3% math and 67.9% English Language Arts proficiency, versus Jenifer’s 53.7% and 59.2%. Jenifer still exceeds state averages in all subjects, but it trails the district average in math, ELA, and science — while Sacajawea beats the district in math and ELA. Both schools have identical student–teacher ratios (15.1) and nearly identical per-student spending (~$10,200), yet Sacajawea’s scores are consistently 7–9 points higher, a gap that appears to be widening as Sacajawea improves while Jenifer’s scores slightly decline. One notable difference is the socioeconomic profile: Jenifer has a 39.57% free/reduced lunch rate versus Sacajawea’s 28.70%, which may help explain some of the achievement gap.
Both schools share a common challenge: chronic absenteeism is well above the state average of 13.8%, with Jenifer at 18.3% and Sacajawea at 17.1%. Despite this, both remain academically strong—a testament to the district’s solid foundation. The Lewiston Independent District is ranked in the 80th percentile statewide, and even the lower-performing of these two middle schools beats state averages across the board. For parents, Sacajawea offers the strongest academics and highest state ranking, while Jenifer remains a reliable, above-average option—especially considering the two schools share similar resources, grade configurations, and district leadership. Reducing absenteeism could be a meaningful lever for both schools to continue improving.
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