The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in English language arts. The lowest is 40% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on St Maries Joint District
St. Maries Joint District sits in Benewah County in Idaho's panhandle, serving students from prekindergarten through twelfth grade across five schools: Heyburn Elementary, Upriver Elementary, St. Maries Middle School, St. Maries High School, and St. Maries Community Education Alternative. The district is small by enrollment, and the student body is predominantly white, with small representation from Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native, multiracial, Asian, and Black students. The district spans several communities, with Saint Maries carrying the largest weight in the housing data, while Harrison and Plummer represent smaller pockets with notably different price points. Harrison's home values run well above the district average, and Plummer sits below it, reflecting the economic diversity within district boundaries. The district's overall housing market sits below the Idaho state benchmark but close to the national one, and the price-to-income ratio suggests a moderately affordable market relative to national norms, though rising mortgage rates affect what families can comfortably carry.
On state assessments, the picture is mixed. In English language arts, the middle grades show real strength, with sixth-grade proficiency reaching a solid level and fifth grade not far behind. Third grade lands lower, and fourth grade sits in a band that suggests room to grow. Some grade-level results were reported as ranges rather than single figures, which often reflects small class sizes and the privacy protections that come with them. In mathematics, third and eighth grade show moderate proficiency, while fifth and sixth grade sit somewhat lower. Fourth and seventh grade results came back as ranges with wide bands, again likely tied to small cohort sizes. Science results for fifth and eighth grade were also range-reported with broad intervals, making it hard to draw a firm conclusion from those numbers alone. The district does not report average scale scores or participation rates, so a parent looking to compare performance at a finer grain would need to go directly to the state report card. No graduation rate data was available in the materials provided. Free and reduced-price lunch counts, special education rates, and English learner counts were also missing from the data we received, which limits the picture of student need and support.
What the district does offer publicly is a clear sense of direction. The board adopted a five-year strategic plan running through the late twenties, targeting reading proficiency, expanded career-technical education, staff development, and facility upgrades. Reading improvement aligns with the lower elementary ELA results and suggests the district has identified its own area of need. The plan to grow career-technical offerings could broaden pathways for high school students who want to move toward workforce readiness alongside or instead of a traditional college track. The district also launched a Virtual Academy serving kindergarten through eighth grade, giving families a fully online public option within the district for students who may do better in a remote setting. A community education alternative school rounds out the offerings, providing another pathway for students whose needs are not met by the conventional classroom.
The district's financial footing depends in part on local voters. In the spring of the levy year, residents approved a one-year supplemental levy that covers a large portion of the annual budget and supports staffing, extracurriculars, and programs that state funding does not reach. The levy represents a slight increase over the prior one and recurs annually, meaning the community carries that tax burden directly. Its passage matters to families because it sustains the programs and staffing levels the district currently offers.
Several data points a parent might want were not available in the materials we reviewed: discipline records, course access details, staffing ratios, and attendance patterns. Civil-rights data was absent as well. Without these, the portrait of school climate and student support remains incomplete. A family considering the district would benefit from asking the administration directly about graduation rates, special education services, and how the strategic plan's goals are translating into classroom-level changes, particularly in the elementary grades where reading proficiency appears to be an identified priority.
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