U.S. News and World Report: Idaho’s best high schools are mostly in the Treasure Valley

Originally published May 14 on IdahoEdNews.org .

Treasure Valley schools dominated U.S. News and World Report’s latest Idaho high school rankings top-10 list.

The standout schools included an even mix of traditional and non-traditional schools. Most were in urban locations, with the exception of Rockland Public School in Southeast Idaho.

U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT'S TOP 10 IDAHO HIGH SCHOOLS

North Star Charter, EagleCoeur d’Alene CharterSage International School, BoiseRenaissance High, MeridianBoise HighTimberline High, BoiseMcCall-Donnelly HighRockland Public SchoolCentury High, PocatelloThomas Jefferson Charter, Caldwell

The rankings are released annually and are based on a half-dozen criteria that assess academic performance and college readiness, including:

State exam scoresFour-year graduation ratesAdvanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exam participation and scores

The rankings also take into account underserved students’ — including those who are Black, Hispanic or from low-income households — performance on state exams.

U.S. News and World Report evaluated 227 Idaho high schools to create its ranking list. Of those, 36 (or 16%) were charters, and four (or less than 2%) were magnets. These non-traditional schools are overrepresented among the best schools, comprising nine of the state’s top 20 schools, or 45%.

The same is true for schools nationwide. For all ranked public schools in the U.S., 11.5% were charters and 4.4% were magnets. Yet they claimed 13 of the top 20 spots , or 65%.

Full results for Idaho are available online at usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/idaho/rankings.

TOP 10 NON-TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Six of the schools on this list are in the Treasure Valley, and only one is in a rural location (North Idaho STEM Charter Academy). The schools also tend to be smaller, with an average enrollment of about 250 students.

North Star Charter, EagleCoeur d’Alene Charter AcademySage International School, BoiseRenaissance High, MeridianThomas Jefferson Charte, CaldwellXavier Charter, Twin FallsNorth Idaho Stem Charter Academy, RathdrumCompass Academy, Idaho FallsMeridian Technical Charter HighVictory Charter, Nampa

TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Four schools on this list are in the Treasure Valley, three in North Idaho, and two in Eastern Idaho. Rockland Public School is the only rural outlier. Enrollment is higher at these schools than the non-traditional standouts, with an average of about 1,200 students.

Boise Senior HighTimberline High, BoiseMcCall-Donnelly HighRockland Public SchoolCentury High, PocatelloMoscow HighTwin Falls HighEagle HighCoeur d’Alene HighCentennial High, Boise