Priest River Elementary School

Summary:

Priest River Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 425 students in grades PK-6 in the rural town of Priest River, Idaho, which is part of the West Bonner County School District. While the school has a predominantly White student population, it faces several key challenges, including high chronic absenteeism, low test scores, and a declining statewide ranking.

Priest River Elementary's chronic absenteeism rates have been significantly higher than nearby schools like Athol Elementary School and Idaho Hill Elementary School. Additionally, the school's proficiency rates on the ISAT (Idaho Standards Achievement Test) in Math (30.7%) and English Language Arts (38.8%) are well below the state averages of 42.2% and 53.3%, respectively. This trend is concerning, as Priest River Elementary's statewide ranking has declined from a high of 63 out of 166 Idaho elementary schools in 2020-2021 to a low of 238 out of 301 in 2023-2024.

One potential contributing factor to Priest River Elementary's lower academic performance may be its relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 41.82% to 47.06% in recent years. This is higher than the nearby Athol Elementary School (29.15%) and Idaho Hill Elementary School (45.86%), suggesting that addressing socioeconomic challenges could be an important part of improving the school's overall performance. Despite these challenges, Priest River Elementary's rural location and small student population could present opportunities for more personalized learning and targeted interventions to help improve student outcomes.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-6

 418 Harriet Street
       Priest River, ID  83856-6568


(208) 448-1181

District: West Bonner County District

SchoolDigger Rank:
238th of 301 Idaho Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $11,553 Help


Students who attend Priest River Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Priest River Junior High School
High:    Priest River Lamanna High

Student/teacher ratio:  18.0 Help
Number of students:  425

Racial breakdown:

White:
95.8%
Two or more races:
2.4%
Hispanic:
1.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  47.1% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Priest River Elementary School ranks worse than 79.1% of elementary schools in Idaho. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 19.93. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
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Compare Details Priest River Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the West Bonner County District.  (See more...)
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Priest River Elementary School is $11,553, which is the lowest among 3 elementary schools in the West Bonner County District!
Schooldigger Rankings:

Priest River Elementary School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.



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Rank History for Priest River Elementary School

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Compare
Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools ID State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2008 36.09 246th 335 26.6%
2009 25.19 303rd 349 13.2%
2010 48.34 210th 356 41.0%
2011 52.06 201st 359 44.0%
2012 43.04 235th 354 33.6%
2013 19.77 321st 357 10.1%
2015 9.55 215th 226 4.9%
2016 12.54 216th 240 10.0%
2017 22.41 242nd 292 17.1%
2021 58.43 63rd 166 62.0%
2022 32.80 128th 188 31.9%
2023 27.36 185th 252 26.6%
2024 19.93 238th 301 20.9%
See the entire list of Idaho Elementary School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Idaho Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Priest River Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
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Data source: Idaho Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Priest River Elementary School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2000 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 537 537
2001 512 7 0 4 0 n/a n/a 0 523
2002 500 0 15 2 3 n/a n/a 0 520
2003 500 0 15 2 3 n/a n/a 0 520
2004 526 1 0 11 4 n/a n/a 0 542
2005 519 2 2 6 4 n/a n/a 0 533
2006 546 1 5 7 2 n/a n/a 0 561
2007 581 2 0 11 3 n/a n/a 0 597
2008 568 2 5 6 4 n/a n/a 0 585
2009 516 0 4 5 2 n/a n/a 0 527
2010 510 0 5 10 5 n/a n/a 0 530
2011 406 0 0 17 1 1 18 0 443
2012 378 1 2 16 1 1 24 0 423
2013 380 1 3 16 1 1 24 0 426
2014 398 1 2 13 6 1 16 0 437
2015 377 2 2 11 2 1 11 0 406
2016 363 0 0 12 0 1 23 0 399
2017 392 0 0 15 0 1 19 0 427
2018 401 0 0 12 0 1 17 0 431
2019 362 0 0 8 0 0 12 0 382
2020 402 0 0 9 0 2 8 0 421
2021 357 0 0 7 0 2 4 0 370
2022 362 0 0 5 0 0 6 0 373
2023 407 0 0 6 0 2 10 0 425

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Priest River Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2000 537 27.1 19.8 59.6
2001 523 27.5 19.0 67.3
2002 520 28.8 18.1 63.5
2003 520 28.8 18.1 63.5
2004 542 25.9 20.9 55.4
2005 533 29.7 17.9 53.7
2006 561 29.7 18.9 50.4
2007 597 29.6 20.2 50.8
2008 585 32.2 18.2 35.9
2009 527 31.3 16.8 56
2010 530 29.4 17.9 57.9
2011 443 26.5 16.7 58.5
2012 423 24.6 17.1 56.5
2013 426 22.5 18.8 72.5
2014 437 23.1 18.8 66.6
2015 406 23.0 17.6 59.6
2016 399 23.0 17.3 61.7
2017 427 23.6 18.0 62.8
2018 431 23.6 18.2 57.5
2019 382 21.7 17.5 58.6
2020 421 19.3 21.7 57.2
2021 370 23.1 16.0 42.7
2022 373 20.5 18.1 41.8
2023 425 23.4 18.0 47.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Priest River Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2000 537 27.1 19.8 59.6
2001 523 27.5 19.0 67.3
2002 520 28.8 18.1 63.5
2003 520 28.8 18.1 63.5
2004 542 25.9 20.9 55.4
2005 533 29.7 17.9 53.7
2006 561 29.7 18.9 50.4
2007 597 29.6 20.2 50.8
2008 585 32.2 18.2 35.9
2009 527 31.3 16.8 56
2010 530 29.4 17.9 57.9
2011 443 26.5 16.7 58.5
2012 423 24.6 17.1 56.5
2013 426 22.5 18.8 72.5
2014 437 23.1 18.8 66.6
2015 406 23.0 17.6 59.6
2016 399 23.0 17.3 61.7
2017 427 23.6 18.0 62.8
2018 431 23.6 18.2 57.5
2019 382 21.7 17.5 58.6
2020 421 19.3 21.7 57.2
2021 370 23.1 16.0 42.7
2022 373 20.5 18.1 41.8
2023 425 23.4 18.0 47.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Priest River Elementary School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $2,171 (18.8%) $9,383 (81.2%) $11,553

Data source: Idaho Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Priest River Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
5th Grade English Language Arts (Priest River Elementary School)56.347
 9.3%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (West Bonner County District)56.546.3
 10.2%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Idaho)56.951.7
 5.2%
All Grades Math (Priest River Elementary School)42.733.2
 9.5%
   All Grades Math (West Bonner County District)37.835.4
 2.4%
   All Grades Math (Idaho)44.441.5
 2.9%
All Grades Science (Priest River Elementary School)87.554.9
 32.6%
   All Grades Science (West Bonner County District)58.148.7
 9.4%
   All Grades Science (Idaho)58.941.6
 17.3%
All Grades English Language Arts (Priest River Elementary School)51.738.8
 12.9%
   All Grades English Language Arts (West Bonner County District)49.346.6
 2.7%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Idaho)5552.2
 2.8%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students382425
 11.3%
African American00
American Indian00
Asian00
Hispanic86
 25%
Pacific Islander02
White362407
 12.4%
Two or More Races1210
 16.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients58.6%47.1%
 11.6%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Priest River Elementary School

Priest River Elementary School ranks in the bottom 20.9% of Idaho elementary schools.

Students who attend Priest River Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Priest River Junior High School
High : Priest River Lamanna High

Students at Priest River Elementary School are 96% White, 2% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic.

In the 2022-23 school year, 425 students attended Priest River Elementary School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Idaho Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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