Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 83704

This analysis covers five elementary schools in Boise ZIP code 83704, serving grades PK–6 (with Summerwind Stem Academy extending to PK–5) and enrolling a combined 1,856 students, four of which belong to Boise Independent District while one belongs to Joint School District No. 2. Summerwind Stem Academy is the clear academic leader in this area, ranking 14th out of 346 schools statewide with 75.3% math and 77.4% ELA proficiency, well above state averages. Valley View Elementary School is the strongest "beating the odds" story, achieving above-district scores despite a 97% free/reduced lunch rate. At the other extreme, Morley Nelson Elementary ranks 344th with just 16.3% math and 24.2% ELA proficiency, while Horizon Elementary School ranks 321st with 27.4% math and 37.4% ELA proficiency. Mountain View Elementary School sits in the middle, ranking 159th, but slipped notably from its 24th-percentile standing last year.

The gap between the top and bottom schools is enormous: Summerwind posts a 59-point math advantage over Morley Nelson, and the two lowest-performing schools also have the highest chronic absenteeism rates (29.6% at Horizon, 35.0% at Morley Nelson). Valley View, despite having nearly identical poverty to Horizon and Morley Nelson, still manages to outperform the district average, showing that poverty does not fully explain results. Notably, the highest-spending school, Morley Nelson at $10,218 per student, has the lowest scores, while the lowest-spending school, Summerwind at $6,805, has the highest scores — a reminder that spending alone does not guarantee success.

Chronic absenteeism appears to be the strongest differentiator in this ZIP code, with the three schools below 18% absenteeism scoring near or above state averages, and the two above 29% scoring far below. The Boise district schools in 83704 collectively underperform their district's overall averages, making this a low-performing pocket within an otherwise average district. Rankings are also moving in opposite directions: Summerwind and Valley View are improving, Mountain View is slipping, and Morley Nelson has collapsed from the 13th percentile to the 1st percentile in two years. For parents, these data suggest that school choice within 83704 can dramatically shape a child's educational experience, and that attendance and school-level effectiveness are the most actionable levers.