Original Research by School Decision on Notus District
Notus School District 135 is a small, rural district in Canyon County, Idaho, serving students from prekindergarten through twelfth grade across two schools: Notus Elementary School and Notus Jr/Sr High School. The district's total enrollment is modest, with roughly two dozen students per grade level, which gives it the feel of a close-knit community school system where students stay together from early childhood through graduation.
The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic population that makes up close to a third of enrollment. A small number of American Indian or Alaska Native students and students of two or more races round out the demographic picture. The district did not report free-or-reduced-price lunch counts, English learner data, or special education enrollment figures, so those portraits of economic need and language support are gaps a parent would want to ask the district about directly.
On state testing, Notus takes the Idaho Standards Achievement Test in math, English language arts, and science. The most recent results, from the current school year, are largely suppressed or reported as ranges rather than precise proficiency rates. This is common for districts with very small grade-level cohorts, where publishing exact figures could identify individual students. What the data does show is that several grade levels reported zero students scoring proficient or above in math and science, and the reported ranges for math proficiency cap at levels that suggest most grade bands are struggling relative to statewide expectations. English language arts ranges are somewhat broader, with upper bounds reaching into more promising territory for a few grades, though several ELA grade-level results are missing entirely. Average scale scores were not reported for any grade or subject.
The broad read here is that academic attainment, as measured by state assessments, is a soft spot for the district. The small cohort sizes mean year-to-year results can swing sharply based on a handful of students, so a single year's numbers should be read with caution. Still, the pattern across grades and subjects points to a district where a parent may want to look into this further with the school, asking about instructional supports, intervention programs, and how the district plans to strengthen math and reading outcomes.
The district operates on a four-day school week, a publicly reported detail that shapes the family calendar. We searched for recent parent-relevant changes such as referendums, curriculum overhauls, or property tax shifts and found none documented, so there is little to report on that front.
Housing in the area the district draws from is anchored by the Caldwell zip code, which carries the largest weight in the district's weighted home-value figure. Surrounding communities include Notus itself, Greenleaf, and Parma. Home values sit below the Idaho state benchmark and modestly above the national benchmark, making the area relatively affordable compared with much of the state. Rents are available for the Caldwell area and come in below what a typical mortgage payment would run, given current interest rates. The gap between renting and owning is meaningful enough that families weighing a move might find renting the more economical short-term option. Home values have ticked up only slightly year over year, a gentle market rather than a hot one.
No data was available on course access, staffing ratios, discipline, attendance, graduation rates, or program offerings such as AP, dual credit, or career technical education. Without those pieces, it is hard to say from the data alone what the secondary academic pathway looks like or what supports wrap around students beyond the classroom. A parent considering Notus would do well to ask the district directly about high school course offerings, extracurriculars, and post-graduation planning, since none of that appears in the available records.
What the data does convey is a very small rural district in an affordable corner of Canyon County, serving a tight community across all grade levels, with state assessment results that raise questions about academic attainment and enough gaps in the public profile that direct conversation with the district would fill in most of what a family needs to know.
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