Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 83647

There are two public middle schools in zip code 83647 (Mountain Home, Idaho), both part of the Mountain Home District: Hacker Middle School (grades 5–6, 530 students) and Mountain Home Junior High School (grades 7–8, 500 students).

Hacker Middle School is the stronger performer on several key measures despite spending less. Its chronic absenteeism rate is 18.6%, far below Mountain Home Junior High’s 31.6% and the district’s 24.3%. Hacker also posts a slightly higher current-year math proficiency rate (35.6% vs. 34.8%) and nearly matches the junior high in English language arts (45.5% vs. 46.2%). Both schools trail state averages in math (43.1%) and ELA (54.0%) by roughly 7–9 points. Hacker also shows clear academic growth between grades: 6th graders outperform 5th graders by 6.7 points in math and 6.0 points in ELA, suggesting students improve during their time there. Meanwhile, Mountain Home Junior High spends about $8,022 per student—30% more than Hacker’s $6,164—yet does not show a clear academic advantage. It also saw its ELA proficiency drop from 51.5% to 46.2% year over year, and its state rank fell from the 42nd to the 32nd percentile. Chronic absenteeism at the junior high is more than double the state rate of 13.8%, a significant concern.

Both schools serve similar populations, with about 56–57% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch and identical student-teacher ratios of 18.2. That makes the attendance gap especially notable: Hacker achieves much better engagement despite similar demographics. For parents, Hacker Middle School appears to offer more consistent current-year results, better attendance, and clear grade-level improvement, all at lower per-student cost. Mountain Home Junior High, while spending more, shows declining trends and a high absenteeism rate that may warrant additional attention. Together, these schools indicate that within the same district and area, school-level practices and climate can make a meaningful difference in outcomes.