Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on July 22, 2025
Statewide K-3 students reading at grade level topped 70% for the first time in five years, according to recent results from the Idaho Reading Indicator, but some districts and charters beat that rate by a long shot.
The IRI is a standardized test that students take each fall and spring. EdNews looked through the spring 2025 IRI data to identify the state’s top performers on the exam.
Read on to see where the highest percentages of students are reading at grade level.
- In smaller schools and districts, it can be easier to achieve high proficiency rates than in large schools/districts because data more easily skews high or low based on the performance of a relative few. We’ve included the number of test takers at each school and district so you have more context when considering scores.
- The lists also don’t account for demographic differences, such as a student body’s affluence, English proficiency, or other such factors that can affect a school’s test results.
- Some data has been redacted by the state, so not all districts and schools are represented (especially the smallest). And for those included, data on the number of test takers was sometimes blurred or redacted.
- While we strive to compare the most similar types of schools and districts, there are still a number of differences that aren’t accounted for (like those mentioned above and others). No comparison can be completely fair because of that.
- For complete datasets, click on the links at the bottom of the article.
Traditional school/district rankings
Below, we take a look at the top performing traditional public schools, traditional public school districts, and large traditional public school districts.
Traditional schools
All but one of the top schools is in the Treasure Valley with the majority split between West Ada (3) and Boise (6).
| School (District) | % Reading at Grade Level | # of Test Takers |
| Paramount (West Ada) | >95% | 285 |
| Hayden Meadows (Coeur d’Alene) | 93.9% | 313 |
| Highlands (Boise) | 92.8% | 153 |
| Adams (Boise) | 92.2% | 102 |
| Washington (Boise) | 91.3% | 149 |
| Hidden Springs (Boise) | 90.2% | 132 |
| Roosevelt (Boise) | 89.9% | 149 |
| Hillsdale (West Ada) | 89.8% | 489 |
| Riverside (Boise) | 89.7% | 175 |
| Eagle Hills (West Ada) | 89.4% | 218 |
Traditional public school districts
The districts on this list are small and largely rural, with the exception of Post Falls.
District
% Reading at Grade Level
# of Test Takers
Rockland
88.1%
42
Troy
88%
100
Garden Valley
85.7%
35
Dietrich
85.4%
41
North Gem
>84%
38
Melba
84.2%
203
Post Falls
84.2%
1,729
West Side
83.4%
199
Grace
82.6%
144
Cottonwood
82.6%
115
Large traditional public school districts
We culled a list of the state’s 25 largest districts, and from that pulled out the top performers. They are geographically diverse, including districts from North to South and in between.
| District | % Reading at Grade Level | # of Test Takers |
| Post Falls | 84.2% | 1,729 |
| West Ada | 81.6% | 9,578 |
| Lewiston | 81.6% | 1,220 |
| Lake Pend Oreille | 79% | 1,007 |
| Coeur d’Alene | 78.6% | 2032 |
| Lakeland | 78.3% | 1,242 |
| Vallivue | 75.3% | 2,939 |
| Madison | 75.3% | 1,632 |
| Pocatello | 73.6% | 2,850 |
| Bonneville | 73.1% | 3,579 |
Nontraditional school rankings
Charter, magnet, nontraditional schools
Seven of the top-performing nontraditional schools are in the Treasure Valley.
School
% Reading at Grade Level
# of Test Takers
North Idaho STEM Charter Academy (Rathdrum)
95.3%
191
Taylors Crossing Charter School (Idaho Falls)
95%
119
Sorensen Magnet School Of The Arts And Humanities (Coeur d’Alene)
92.4%
198
North Star Charter School (Boise)
91.9%
320
Liberty Charter School (Nampa)
91.3%
104
Gem Prep: Meridian South (Meridian)
90.5%
189
Pioneer School Of The Arts (West Ada)
89.7%
439
Galileo Stem Academy (West Ada)
88.7%
380
Compass Public Charter School (Meridian)
88.6%
405
Victory Charter School (Nampa)
88%
108
See the data
Once you click on each document linked below, press “command” + “F” and a search box will pop up. You can then enter the name of the school or district you’re searching for.
- For district/charter data by performance click here.
- For school level data by performance click here.
- For growth data by district/charter from the fall test results click here.
- For district/charter data alphabetically click here.
Idaho Education News data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report.
