While the U.S. is one of the most educated countries in the world, it doesn’t provide the same quality elementary school or secondary school education to all students. In many states, more affluent school districts receive a greater amount of funding per student than poorer districts, with one estimate claiming that low-income districts are underfunded by around $6,700 per pupil.
Discrepancies between the rich and poor have been exacerbated even more due to the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Low-income students have suffered the greatest “learning loss” due to partial or total remote learning. One contributing factor is that people in low-income districts are less likely to have the technological resources they need.
States that provide equitable funding to all school districts can help prevent poor students from having lower graduation rates, lower rates of pursuing higher education and smaller future incomes than their wealthy peers. The difference is dramatic: College graduates have $154 - $1,115 higher median weekly earnings than people with a high school diploma and no college experience, depending on the degree.
Idaho has the 10th least equitable school districts in the U.S. overall, but some districts within the state are fairer than others. To find out where school funding is distributed most equitably, WalletHub scored 113 districts in Idaho based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.
Main Findings
Note: For visual purposes, we included only the top 7 school districts by enrollment from each category. Rank 1 on the “Expenditures Ranking” means highest expenditures and Rank 1 on “Income Ranking” means lowest income.
Most & Least Equitable School Districts in Idaho
| Rank* | School District | Score | Expeditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Schools per Pupil | Income by School District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garden Valley District | 0.25 | $12,165 | $49,550 |
| 2 | Kuna Joint District | 1.42 | $7,387 | $73,219 |
| 3 | Mackay Joint District | 1.44 | $10,268 | $59,500 |
| 4 | Snake River District | 2.04 | $7,614 | $72,473 |
| 5 | Basin School District | 2.17 | $11,985 | $49,375 |
| 6 | Richfield District | 3.38 | $11,851 | $53,000 |
| 7 | West Jefferson District | 3.51 | $10,751 | $54,535 |
| 8 | Joint School District No. 2 | 3.51 | $6,941 | $76,471 |
| 9 | Orofino Joint District | 3.78 | $12,963 | $43,849 |
| 10 | Lewiston Independent District | 4.30 | $10,066 | $57,373 |
| 11 | Boise Independent District | 5.23 | $10,104 | $62,324 |
| 12 | Dietrich District | 6.06 | $10,928 | $52,321 |
| 13 | Cottonwood Joint District | 6.36 | $10,413 | $61,458 |
| 14 | Murtaugh Joint District | 6.41 | $9,655 | $58,194 |
| 15 | Lakeland District | 7.01 | $8,864 | $69,192 |
| 16 | Lake Pend Oreille School District | 7.54 | $10,309 | $54,472 |
| 17 | New Plymouth District | 7.73 | $8,224 | $64,308 |
| 18 | Bruneau-Grand View Joint School District | 7.76 | $14,948 | $40,600 |
| 19 | Middleton District | 8.54 | $6,816 | $70,578 |
| 20 | Wallace District | 8.78 | $12,144 | $45,060 |
| 21 | Hagerman Joint District | 9.25 | $10,849 | $60,938 |
| 22 | Potlatch District | 9.33 | $11,270 | $58,973 |
| 23 | West Side Joint District | 10.04 | $6,973 | $69,022 |
| 24 | Castleford District | 11.79 | $10,177 | $52,813 |
| 25 | Bonneville Joint District | 12.33 | $7,202 | $66,701 |
| 26 | Hansen District | 13.06 | $10,581 | $50,202 |
| 27 | Grace Joint District | 13.10 | $8,417 | $60,494 |
| 28 | Moscow District | 14.86 | $11,353 | $45,556 |
| 29 | Camas County District | 14.95 | $13,158 | $36,908 |
| 30 | Kimberly District | 15.18 | $6,781 | $67,172 |
| 31 | Coeur D'Alene District | 15.75 | $8,459 | $58,866 |
| 32 | Horseshoe Bend School District | 16.10 | $11,177 | $63,063 |
| 33 | Shoshone Joint District | 16.51 | $9,836 | $51,899 |
| 34 | Council District | 16.84 | $11,470 | $43,935 |
| 35 | Jefferson County Joint District | 17.31 | $6,600 | $66,888 |
| 36 | North Gem District | 17.86 | $12,423 | $58,068 |
| 37 | Teton County District | 18.25 | $9,277 | $73,274 |
| 38 | Soda Springs Joint District | 18.48 | $8,284 | $58,235 |
| 39 | Melba Joint District | 18.66 | $7,241 | $63,105 |
| 40 | West Bonner County District | 19.03 | $11,207 | $44,005 |
| 41 | Challis Joint District | 19.28 | $11,761 | $41,230 |
| 42 | American Falls Joint District | 19.38 | $9,794 | $50,553 |
| 43 | Marsing Joint District | 20.08 | $8,478 | $56,447 |
| 44 | Shelley Joint District | 20.37 | $6,474 | $65,840 |
| 45 | Vallivue School District | 20.49 | $7,514 | $60,821 |
| 46 | Fremont County Joint District | 21.27 | $8,382 | $56,263 |
| 47 | St. Maries Joint District | 22.03 | $10,049 | $47,913 |
| 48 | Marsh Valley Joint District | 22.49 | $7,311 | $60,714 |
| 49 | Meadows Valley District | 22.53 | $13,531 | $55,302 |
| 50 | Post Falls District | 22.65 | $7,450 | $59,961 |
| 51 | Kamiah Joint District | 22.99 | $11,347 | $41,208 |
| 52 | Wilder District | 23.37 | $9,128 | $51,579 |
| 53 | Mountain View School District | 23.57 | $11,288 | $41,179 |
| 54 | South Lemhi District | 23.77 | $16,981 | $39,531 |
| 55 | McCall-Donnelly Joint School District | 23.82 | $11,519 | $65,587 |
| 56 | Aberdeen District | 25.00 | $9,804 | $47,480 |
| 57 | Kendrick Joint District | 25.17 | $13,040 | $59,063 |
| 58 | Emmett Independent District | 25.69 | $8,417 | $53,720 |
| 59 | Idaho Falls District | 25.82 | $7,174 | $59,569 |
| 60 | Blackfoot District | 26.03 | $8,239 | $54,384 |
| 61 | Nampa School District | 26.47 | $7,762 | $56,421 |
| 62 | Minidoka County Joint District | 26.93 | $8,345 | $53,395 |
| 63 | Rockland District | 26.99 | $12,262 | $63,750 |
| 64 | Notus District | 28.01 | $10,396 | $43,036 |
| 65 | Bliss Joint District | 28.55 | $15,024 | $51,429 |
| 66 | Valley District | 28.61 | $9,012 | $49,313 |
| 67 | Preston Joint District | 30.64 | $7,038 | $57,623 |
| 68 | Bear Lake County District | 31.37 | $8,013 | $52,588 |
| 69 | Jerome Joint District | 31.44 | $7,207 | $56,387 |
| 70 | Firth District | 31.68 | $7,249 | $56,061 |
| 71 | Payette Joint District | 32.58 | $8,683 | $48,739 |
| 72 | Ririe Joint District | 32.74 | $7,559 | $54,012 |
| 73 | Highland Joint District | 33.22 | $15,655 | $50,938 |
| 74 | Kellogg Joint District | 33.23 | $10,642 | $39,055 |
| 75 | Plummer-Worley Joint District | 33.29 | $16,384 | $47,500 |
| 76 | Parma District | 33.66 | $8,087 | $51,003 |
| 77 | Twin Falls District | 33.97 | $7,777 | $52,311 |
| 78 | Sugar-Salem Joint District | 34.01 | $7,160 | $55,231 |
| 79 | Fruitland District | 34.44 | $7,485 | $53,450 |
| 80 | Filer District | 34.57 | $7,559 | $53,029 |
| 81 | Cassia County Joint District | 34.86 | $7,739 | $52,011 |
| 82 | Buhl Joint District | 35.03 | $8,108 | $50,164 |
| 83 | Midvale District | 35.80 | $15,356 | $53,750 |
| 84 | Cascade District | 35.94 | $14,960 | $55,710 |
| 85 | Boundary County District | 37.57 | $8,838 | $45,319 |
| 86 | Wendell District | 37.61 | $7,722 | $50,612 |
| 87 | Pocatello District | 38.28 | $7,498 | $51,318 |
| 88 | Salmon River Joint School District | 39.84 | $17,366 | $46,346 |
| 89 | Caldwell District | 41.07 | $8,448 | $45,289 |
| 90 | Whitepine Joint School District | 41.84 | $14,165 | $62,676 |
| 91 | Nezperce Joint District | 43.03 | $15,628 | $56,343 |
| 92 | Butte County Joint District | 44.02 | $9,851 | $37,019 |
| 93 | Gooding Joint District | 44.28 | $8,152 | $44,973 |
| 94 | Homedale Joint District | 45.00 | $7,172 | $49,258 |
| 95 | Troy School District | 45.70 | $12,664 | $71,905 |
| 96 | Glenns Ferry Joint District | 46.39 | $10,012 | $34,972 |
| 97 | Lapwai District | 46.67 | $15,857 | $57,212 |
| 98 | Swan Valley Elementary District | 46.99 | $15,550 | $58,846 |
| 99 | Mountain Home District | 47.08 | $7,428 | $46,918 |
| 100 | Salmon District | 48.19 | $9,026 | $38,702 |
| 101 | Cambridge Joint District | 48.97 | $17,674 | $49,792 |
| 102 | Clark County District | 49.42 | $20,529 | $36,429 |
| 103 | Genesee Joint District | 53.71 | $12,459 | $77,198 |
| 104 | Culdesac Joint District | 54.48 | $18,290 | $49,821 |
| 105 | Oneida County District | 54.72 | $4,977 | $54,484 |
| 106 | Weiser District | 57.60 | $7,662 | $40,139 |
| 107 | Madison District | 58.39 | $7,037 | $42,692 |
| 108 | Blaine County District | 65.98 | $16,482 | $64,627 |
| 109 | Mullan District | 100.80 | $25,039 | $42,596 |
| 110 | Kootenai District | 131.09 | $22,739 | $69,861 |
| 111 | Pleasant Valley Elementary District | 176.79 | $33,857 | $41,477 |
| 112 | Three Creek Joint Elementary District | 211.22 | $39,000 | $35,500 |
| 113 | Prairie Elementary District | 267.39 | $45,000 | $37,143 |
*1=Most Equitable
Methodology
In order to rank the states with the most and least equitable school districts, WalletHub first scored 12,876 school districts throughout the U.S. based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.
For expenditures, for each 1 percent above the state's average we removed 1 point from a base score of 50 points for each district. For household income, for each 1 percent above the state's average we added 1 point to a base score of 50 points for each district. The inverse was true for each 1 percent below the state's average.
The final score for each district was calculated by taking the absolute difference between the score for expenditures and the score for household income. We then ranked the districts based on the total score, with the lowest value, representing the most equitable, being ranked 1.
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from of the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics.