The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in English language arts. The lowest is 40% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Firth District
Firth District is a small, single-community public district in Bingham County, Idaho, serving students from prekindergarten through twelfth grade across three schools: A W Johnson Elementary, Firth Middle School, and Firth High School. The district's enrollment is modest, with each grade cohort small enough that parents should expect their children to be known individually by staff, and class sizes to feel intimate rather than institutional. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population that makes up the largest share among students of color. The district does not report free-or-reduced-price lunch counts, individualized education program rates, or English learner figures in the data available here, so families who depend on understanding those support populations will want to ask the district directly.
On Idaho's state assessment, the ISAT, Firth's results from the most recent year paint a mixed but mostly moderate picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates across grades three through eight hover in the middle range for the state, with fifth and seventh grades standing out as relative bright spots where a majority of tested students reached proficiency. The seventh-grade ELA result was the district's strongest single showing. By contrast, eighth-grade ELA dipped to the lower end of the district's range, though it remained within a band that is not unusual for rural Idaho districts.
Math follows a similar pattern of moderate performance with one clear concern. Grades three, four, and six landed in the low-to-mid range, fifth grade sat a bit below those, and seventh grade rose to where a slim majority of students were proficient. The eighth-grade math result, however, was notably low, with only a small share of tested students reaching proficiency. This is the kind of single-grade dip that can reflect a cohort effect, a transition year, or a curricular gap, and a parent with a child entering or already in middle school may want to look into this further with the school to understand what is driving it and what supports are in place.
Science results for grades five and eight were reported only as suppressed ranges, with tested counts withheld. The ranges suggest performance was somewhere from minimal to moderate, but the suppression makes it hard to draw a firm conclusion. This is a gap in what a parent can see publicly rather than a verdict on the program. No multi-year trend data was available beyond the current year, so there is no way here to assess whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability over time.
The housing market in the district's attendance area is relatively affordable compared with the Idaho state benchmark, with the typical home value sitting below the statewide figure. The district's territory draws from areas associated with Blackfoot and Shelley, as well as a stretch of unincorporated Bingham County that carries the largest weight in the district's housing index. Rents in the area are modest, and the gap between renting and owning is wide, which is consistent with a rural or semi-rural community where buying a home requires a meaningful but not extraordinary income relative to national figures. Year-over-year home values have been climbing at a healthy pace, suggesting the area is seeing some growth pressure, though prices remain well below national levels.
Publicly reported information on recent district changes, such as curriculum shifts, facility investments, or ballot measures, turned up little of substance. The search returned general profile and demographic information but no property tax changes, referendums, or program launches that a parent would need to weigh right now. No strategic priorities, mission statements, or program-specific offerings such as advanced coursework, career pathways, or extracurricular descriptions were provided in the data, so families interested in what happens beyond the state test will need to go directly to the district's website or administration for those details.
What the picture supports is this: Firth is a small rural district with stable, moderately performing elementary and middle grades, a student population that is largely homogeneous, and a housing market that remains accessible by Idaho standards. Its academic results are neither a standout nor a concern across most grades, with the eighth-grade math result being the one area that warrants a closer conversation. For families who value a close-knt school environment and affordable living in a quiet part of eastern Idaho, Firth is a reasonable option to explore, with the caveat that the data here leaves several important questions unanswered.
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