Summary:
ZIP code 83801 in Athol, Idaho contains a single public school, Athol Elementary School, serving grades PK-5 with 287 students and no local middle or high school options. The school is part of the Lakeland District, which ranks 21st out of 101 Idaho districts (79th percentile, 4 stars), placing it well above average statewide.
Academically, Athol Elementary is a mid-tier school that exceeds Idaho state averages in most subjects but falls short of its own strong district. In the 2025-2026 school year, math proficiency was 48.4% (state 43.1%, district 49.4%) and ELA was 54.5% (state 54.0%, district 60.7%). The school's own state ranking has been volatile: 40th percentile in 2023-2024, 66th percentile in 2024-2025, and 50th percentile in 2025-2026. A notable bright spot came in 2024-2025 when science proficiency reached 63.5%, far above the district's 51.5% and the state's 42.6%, though the following year's 5th-grade science score dropped to 42.9%. One area of concern is 5th-grade math, where proficiency sits at 42.9% compared to 56.4% in 5th-grade ELA, highlighting a 13.5-point gap between subjects.
Two non-academic factors stand out for parents. Chronic absenteeism is a significant concern at 17.9%, well above the district's 12.4% and the state's 13.8%, meaning nearly one in five students is chronically absent. Economically, about 27.18% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a moderate level of economic disadvantage but not a high-poverty school. The student-teacher ratio is a reasonable 16.8 to 1, and per-student spending is $8,738. Overall, Athol Elementary offers academic performance that trends above the typical Idaho school but below its high-performing district, with ongoing challenges around attendance and inconsistent year-to-year results. Families seeking middle or high school education will need to look outside this ZIP code.
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