Best Public Schools in Zip Code 83840

Zip code 83840 is served by exactly one public school: Kootenai Elementary School, a K-6 school in Lake Pend Oreille School District with 367 students and a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. Because there are no middle or high schools in this zip code, families in the Kootenai area send secondary students to schools elsewhere in the district, making this elementary school the central educational anchor for the community.

Kootenai Elementary School is a stable, mid-performing school with a 3-star rating and a 2025-26 state rank of 160th out of 346 Idaho elementary schools (54th percentile). Overall, it surpasses state averages in both math and English language arts: 50.2% proficient in math versus 43.1% statewide, and 56.2% proficient in ELA versus 54.0% statewide. However, it trails its own high-achieving district in both subjects, particularly in ELA, where the gap is nearly 8 points. The school's strongest area is 3rd-grade math (67.3% proficient, far above the state's 50.9%), and its 6th-grade ELA score of 61.4% actually beats the district average. The most notable weakness is 5th-grade science, where only 36.1% of students are proficient — 16 points below the district and 8 points below the state. There is also a sharp math slump in 4th and 5th grades before a 6th-grade recovery, suggesting upper-elementary math instruction may need attention.

Economically, 44.69% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, and the school still performs near or above state averages — a positive sign given that higher-poverty schools often struggle. The school's state ranking has been remarkably consistent over the past three years, moving from 163rd (2 stars) to 160th (3 stars). Attendance conditions in the district are excellent, with a 2.1% chronic absenteeism rate versus 13.8% statewide, though Kootenai's own school-level rate from 2021-22 was 11.0%. With only one school in the zip code, families have no within-area school choice, which makes this community school's steady performance and clear areas for improvement all the more important for parents and the district to understand.