Summary:
Zip code 83877 in Post Falls, Idaho, is served by two very different public high schools — Post Falls High School and New Vision High School — both part of the Post Falls District, and together they offer a study in contrasts within the same community.
Post Falls High School is a large, traditional high school with 1,601 students and ranks in the top 11% of Idaho high schools with a 5-star rating. It outperforms the state by wide margins in English Language Arts (77.4% proficiency vs. 61.3% statewide) and Science (63.4% vs. 41.2%), while its math proficiency (46.8%) is a more modest 3.7 points above the state average. Chronic absenteeism is low at 11.8%, and about 32.5% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. In stark contrast, New Vision High School is a small alternative school with just 100 students, ranking in the bottom 2% of the state with a 0-star rating. Its proficiency rates are dramatically lower — just 32.7% in ELA and 18.4% in science — while chronic absenteeism reaches 19.5%, nearly double the rate at Post Falls High. New Vision also serves a higher-poverty population, with 46% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch.
Both schools report the same 82.5% graduation rate, yet their academic outcomes are separated by more than 40 percentage points, suggesting that graduation figures alone can mask serious gaps in learning. Funding also differs notably: Post Falls High spends about $7,460 per student, while New Vision spends roughly $5,585 per student, a 25% shortfall that may compound the challenges faced by its smaller, higher-need student body. For parents choosing between these schools, the message is clear: Post Falls High offers a top-tier, well-supported academic environment with strong attendance and results, while New Vision High is an alternative option that appears to struggle with engagement, funding, and proficiency — pointing to a significant within-district equity gap that deserves attention.
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