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.
Discrepancies between the rich and poor have been exacerbated even more this year by 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 $524 - $1,112 higher median weekly earnings than people with a high school diploma and no college experience, depending on the degree.
Idaho has the 2nd 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 114 districts in Idaho based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil. Read on for the district ranking and a complete description of our methodology.
Main Findings
Note: For visual purposes, we included only the top 7 school districts by enrollment from each category.
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 | Horseshoe Bend School District | 0.15 | $10,930 | $55,972 |
| 2 | Bliss Joint District | 0.58 | $13,833 | $42,946 |
| 3 | Joint School District No. 2 | 3.64 | $6,816 | $72,288 |
| 4 | Boise Independent District | 3.77 | $9,814 | $59,001 |
| 5 | Richfield District | 3.82 | $12,262 | $52,165 |
| 6 | Kuna Joint District | 4.27 | $7,079 | $75,252 |
| 7 | Cottonwood Joint District | 4.55 | $10,501 | $60,313 |
| 8 | Lakeland District | 5.04 | $8,705 | $63,233 |
| 9 | Lewiston Independent District | 5.55 | $9,691 | $58,616 |
| 10 | Hansen District | 5.72 | $11,036 | $52,600 |
| 11 | Potlatch District | 6.10 | $11,172 | $51,801 |
| 12 | Orofino Joint District | 6.46 | $12,711 | $44,826 |
| 13 | Garden Valley District | 6.51 | $12,015 | $54,659 |
| 14 | North Gem District | 8.61 | $12,023 | $55,714 |
| 15 | Grace Joint District | 9.85 | $8,191 | $62,989 |
| 16 | Dietrich District | 10.34 | $10,300 | $53,438 |
| 17 | Hagerman Joint District | 10.81 | $10,816 | $50,917 |
| 18 | Camas County District | 11.06 | $13,333 | $39,688 |
| 19 | Bruneau-Grand View Joint School District | 11.18 | $14,800 | $44,813 |
| 20 | Midvale District | 11.43 | $14,024 | $48,365 |
| 21 | Meadows Valley District | 12.14 | $12,571 | $55,139 |
| 22 | Cascade District | 12.65 | $12,241 | $56,861 |
| 23 | Bonneville Joint District | 12.79 | $7,197 | $65,840 |
| 24 | West Jefferson District | 13.32 | $9,857 | $53,835 |
| 25 | Highland Joint District | 13.56 | $14,736 | $46,336 |
| 26 | Snake River District | 13.79 | $7,159 | $65,488 |
| 27 | Notus District | 14.63 | $9,522 | $54,632 |
| 28 | Whitepine Joint School District | 14.85 | $13,506 | $52,431 |
| 29 | Soda Springs Joint District | 17.64 | $8,064 | $59,492 |
| 30 | Rockland District | 17.80 | $11,713 | $61,875 |
| 31 | Lake Pend Oreille School District | 18.88 | $8,988 | $54,769 |
| 32 | Wallace District | 19.76 | $11,567 | $42,943 |
| 33 | Plummer-Worley Joint District | 19.78 | $15,027 | $48,291 |
| 34 | Teton County District | 19.84 | $9,155 | $74,216 |
| 35 | West Bonner County District | 20.98 | $11,534 | $42,452 |
| 36 | Kimberly District | 21.10 | $6,824 | $63,155 |
| 37 | Mccall-Donnelly Joint School District | 21.68 | $10,924 | $67,375 |
| 38 | Moscow District | 22.61 | $10,654 | $45,482 |
| 39 | American Falls Joint District | 22.67 | $10,060 | $48,068 |
| 40 | Murtaugh Joint District | 22.92 | $8,495 | $54,837 |
| 41 | Mackay Joint District | 22.99 | $10,208 | $47,250 |
| 42 | Fremont County Joint District | 23.04 | $7,773 | $57,958 |
| 43 | Marsh Valley Joint District | 24.65 | $7,025 | $60,417 |
| 44 | Middleton District | 24.83 | $6,838 | $61,148 |
| 45 | Basin School District | 25.03 | $10,991 | $68,826 |
| 46 | Jefferson County Joint District | 25.24 | $6,133 | $64,045 |
| 47 | Coeur D'Alene District | 25.56 | $7,835 | $56,371 |
| 48 | Marsing Joint District | 26.29 | $8,021 | $55,172 |
| 49 | Parma District | 26.45 | $7,962 | $55,348 |
| 50 | West Side Joint District | 26.83 | $6,545 | $61,397 |
| 51 | St Maries Joint District | 27.28 | $9,389 | $48,625 |
| 52 | Castleford District | 28.47 | $9,235 | $48,681 |
| 53 | Kendrick Joint District | 29.14 | $13,682 | $59,102 |
| 54 | Salmon River Joint School District | 29.78 | $18,709 | $37,273 |
| 55 | Minidoka County Joint District | 30.18 | $7,825 | $54,008 |
| 56 | Challis Joint District | 30.63 | $11,193 | $38,922 |
| 57 | Troy School District | 31.39 | $12,301 | $66,364 |
| 58 | Ririe Joint District | 31.56 | $7,909 | $52,917 |
| 59 | Shoshone Joint District | 32.31 | $9,134 | $47,125 |
| 60 | Bear Lake County District | 32.90 | $7,593 | $53,611 |
| 61 | Mountain View School District | 33.12 | $10,950 | $38,699 |
| 62 | Valley District | 33.23 | $8,737 | $48,398 |
| 63 | Firth District | 33.51 | $6,639 | $57,500 |
| 64 | Idaho Falls District | 33.53 | $6,957 | $56,087 |
| 65 | Cassia County Joint District | 33.54 | $7,772 | $52,491 |
| 66 | Twin Falls District | 33.74 | $7,756 | $52,455 |
| 67 | Blackfoot District | 34.11 | $7,784 | $52,140 |
| 68 | Wilder District | 34.19 | $8,076 | $50,813 |
| 69 | Shelley Joint District | 34.44 | $6,271 | $58,640 |
| 70 | Preston Joint District | 34.51 | $6,838 | $56,101 |
| 71 | Post Falls District | 34.66 | $7,269 | $54,126 |
| 72 | Vallivue School District | 34.92 | $7,331 | $53,714 |
| 73 | Filer District | 34.93 | $7,287 | $53,906 |
| 74 | Aberdeen District | 35.77 | $9,056 | $45,666 |
| 75 | Lapwai District | 36.15 | $15,328 | $55,500 |
| 76 | Kellogg Joint District | 36.66 | $10,457 | $39,026 |
| 77 | Fruitland District | 36.95 | $6,920 | $54,468 |
| 78 | Wendell District | 38.29 | $7,760 | $50,068 |
| 79 | Nampa School District | 38.36 | $7,341 | $51,879 |
| 80 | Jerome Joint District | 40.11 | $6,797 | $53,364 |
| 81 | Melba Joint District | 40.74 | $6,990 | $52,188 |
| 82 | Cambridge Joint District | 40.78 | $17,611 | $47,845 |
| 83 | New Plymouth District | 41.03 | $7,392 | $50,262 |
| 84 | Kamiah Joint District | 41.14 | $10,528 | $36,379 |
| 85 | South Lemhi District | 41.17 | $17,080 | $50,391 |
| 86 | Blaine County District | 41.26 | $15,661 | $56,694 |
| 87 | Pocatello District | 42.05 | $7,126 | $50,904 |
| 88 | Butte County Joint District | 42.25 | $9,226 | $41,538 |
| 89 | Council District | 42.69 | $9,592 | $39,698 |
| 90 | Boundary County District | 42.74 | $8,741 | $43,423 |
| 91 | Buhl Joint District | 42.82 | $8,090 | $46,250 |
| 92 | Genesee Joint District | 43.95 | $12,904 | $70,250 |
| 93 | Emmett Independent District | 45.02 | $8,002 | $45,492 |
| 94 | Payette Joint District | 45.43 | $7,335 | $48,222 |
| 95 | Nezperce Joint District | 45.83 | $16,632 | $54,792 |
| 96 | Sugar-Salem Joint District | 46.62 | $6,879 | $49,613 |
| 97 | Mountain Home District | 47.84 | $7,106 | $47,973 |
| 98 | Gooding Joint District | 47.85 | $7,665 | $45,506 |
| 99 | Glenns Ferry Joint District | 49.78 | $9,252 | $37,500 |
| 100 | Oneida County District | 51.48 | $5,345 | $53,841 |
| 101 | Caldwell District | 52.11 | $7,770 | $42,822 |
| 102 | Homedale Joint District | 54.87 | $7,039 | $44,607 |
| 103 | Salmon District | 56.46 | $8,111 | $39,048 |
| 104 | Swan Valley Elementary District | 56.98 | $17,453 | $56,985 |
| 105 | Culdesac Joint District | 60.22 | $19,798 | $48,333 |
| 106 | Clark County District | 60.61 | $20,339 | $46,154 |
| 107 | Weiser District | 62.30 | $7,333 | $39,435 |
| 108 | Arbon Elementary District | 68.04 | $19,353 | $54,375 |
| 109 | Madison District | 72.19 | $6,606 | $37,487 |
| 110 | Mullan District | 83.88 | $23,918 | $42,500 |
| 111 | Kootenai District | 85.26 | $19,191 | $64,063 |
| 112 | Three Creek Joint Elementary District | 119.32 | $31,571 | $27,232 |
| 113 | Pleasant Valley Elementary District | 295.36 | $47,500 | $48,750 |
| 114 | Prairie Elementary District | 998.49 | $133,000 | $38,250 |
*1=Most Equitable
Methodology
In order to rank the states with the most and least equitable school districts, WalletHub first scored 12,927 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 the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics.