Original Research by School Decision on William Thomas Middle School
William Thomas Middle School sits in American Falls, the county seat of Power County in southeastern Idaho, and serves grades six through eight as part of American Falls Joint District. It is a regular public school, neither a charter nor a magnet, and its enrollment is small for a middle school serving three grades.
The student body is nearly evenly split between Hispanic and White students, with a small number of American Indian or Alaska Native students and a handful of other backgrounds. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which reflects the agricultural working-class character of the surrounding community. Information on English learners and special education enrollment was not available in the data we reviewed, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
On state testing, the picture is mixed and, in math, leans weak. Idaho's ISAT results for the most recent year are reported as ranges rather than precise figures, which limits what can be said. In English language arts, the upper end of the reported range across all three grades sits around the midpoint, suggesting roughly half of students may be reaching proficiency in reading and writing. Math results run lower, with the upper bounds of the ranges across the three grades well below what most schools would consider strong. Eighth-grade science, the only grade tested in that subject at this level, falls in a similar modest range. These are not numbers that would lead a parent to choose the school for its test scores alone. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, asking what interventions or supports are in place for students who are not yet proficient, particularly in mathematics.
The school does not have a graduation rate, which is expected because it serves only middle grades. No data on advanced coursework, career pathways, extracurricular programs, discipline, staffing ratios, or attendance was available, so those areas cannot be characterized here. We looked for the district's recent strategic priorities or parent-relevant changes and found little, so we left that out rather than guess.
American Falls itself is a small, tight-knit agricultural town. The local economy runs on potatoes, grains, and sugar beets, with a growing slice tied to tourism and recreation around the Snake River and American Falls Reservoir. Idaho Power is a presence, operating facilities tied to the American Falls Dam and maintaining a public park with fishing access and dam views. The city is compact, with schools, parks, the county courthouse, and a central business district all woven into a small footprint rather than spread across separated campuses. An extensive parks system includes a walking and biking trail connecting Lee Street Park to Willow Bay, a disc golf course, ballfields, a skate park, and a golf course described as being in the heart of town. The mayor has publicly described the library as impressive and the schools as strong. The town is a short drive from Pocatello Regional Airport.
Housing here is affordable relative to both state and national benchmarks. Typical home values sit well below the Idaho statewide figure and modestly below the national one, and estimated monthly mortgage costs compare favorably to rent in the area. Home values have dipped slightly over the past year, which is a contrast to modest gains at the state level. No specific new housing developments were identified in available public sources, and the city's small footprint and location near Pocatello suggest incremental growth rather than rapid expansion.
For a family considering William Thomas Middle School, the school offers a genuinely small middle-school experience in a community where civic life, outdoor recreation, and agriculture define the rhythm. The academic results on state tests are modest, particularly in math, and the absence of program, staffing, and support data means a parent would need to go directly to the school to understand what is available beyond the core curriculum. The surrounding town is affordable, compact, and community-oriented, with parks and reservoir access that give kids room to be outside. Whether this is the right fit depends on what a family prioritizes: a close, small-town environment with low cost of living, weighed against test scores that suggest the school is still working to bring more students to proficiency.
See more original research from School Decision →