One of the most important things that families look for when they move is if the schools are good. Sadly for Idaho, it is ranked in 38th place for schools in the country. This is calculated by WalletHub and looks at the quality and safety of schools. Idaho is ranked 37th for quality and 41st for safety, which is what resulted in its 38th spot in the United States.
Today, we're going to take a look at the worst schools in Idaho, from college to elementary school. Each type of school will have slightly different things to examine. For example, for college, the graduation rate is what most heavily impacts the ranking of schools. For elementary school, test scores are the main measurement of a successful school. Let's take a look at these schools and break down why they are listed as the worst schools in Idaho by looking at their graduation rates, performance, test scores, and more.
University of Phoenix Idaho Campus
The University of Phoenix Idaho Campus is located in Meridian, Idaho. It is considered the worst college in the state due to its low graduation rate of 12.4%. Also, approximately nine percent of students graduate with their bachelor's degree within 6 years. This school is considered a small school and is a private four-year college. The University has both undergraduate and graduate programs and has open admission, which means anyone with a GED or high school degree can be admitted.
The annual tuition is approximately $10,000. Another way to measure a college's success is the average salary for students 10 years after they graduate. Graduate students from the University of Phoenix Idaho Campus have an average salary of $55,800. Many of their students go into business after graduation, approximately 79% of students. Eight percent of graduate students go into law enforcement, firefighting, or homeland security. Seven percent become health professionals, five percent go into information and computer sciences, and one percent into education.
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Magic Valley High School
When it comes to measuring the success of a high school, we can look at the school's graduation rate, grade, as well as test scores. Magic Valley High School is considered one of the worst high schools in the state. Located in Twin Falls, they serve approximately 160 students and have a student-to-teacher ratio of 12:1.
Magic Valley High School is graded a D, and this comes from looking at and grading categories like academics, teachers, activities, sports, facilities, college preparation, diversity, administration, and food. Although Magic Valley was unable to be graded in the activities, sports, and food categories, they were in the others. Magic Valley received a D+ in academics, D+ in administration, C- in teachers, C in college preparation, B- in facilities, and A- in Diversity. These all together average out to the school receiving a D.
The proficiency scores are low at Magic Valley, with only 25% of students proficient in reading and 10% of students proficient in math. The school has an average graduation rate of 42% when the state average is 82%. Also, 14% of their graduate students pursue college post-graduation, and only 17% of those students return to college for a second year.
Wilder Middle School
Located in Wilder, Idaho, Wilder Middle School is one of the worst schools in the state. They were only graded in three categories, including academics, diversity, and teachers. But, the average of these scores led to an overall score of C-. Wilder received a C- in academics and teachers and a B+ in diversity. They serve approximately 115 students with a student-to-teacher ratio of 14:1.
When it comes to proficiency scores, the students at this school are not proficient in math, reading, English, or science. Approximately 27% of students are proficient in reading, and 12% are proficient in math. In English, only 33% of students are proficient, and the state average is 55%. Lastly, approximately 18% of their students are proficient in science when the state average is 41%.
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Chief Tahgee Elementary Academy
Chief Tahgee Elementary Academy is located in Fort Hall, Idaho. They serve approximately 120 students and have a student-to-teacher ratio of 13:1. Their overall grade is D- and they score C- in the majority of the graded categories. They have low proficiency scores, with 25% of students being proficient in reading and 15% proficient in math. In English, 28% of students are proficient when the state average is 54%. This school also has high averages of suspensions and absences. Approximately 14% of students get suspended, while the state average is two percent. Lastly, approximately 6% of students are chronically absent, while the state average is three percent.
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