The top reported proficiency rate is 75% in English language arts. The lowest is 74% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Hidden Springs Elementary School
Hidden Springs Elementary School sits inside the planned community of Hidden Springs, a residential neighborhood in the Dry Creek Valley north of Boise. The school is part of Boise Independent District and serves pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The campus is embedded in the neighborhood itself rather than on a separated site, which means most families live within walking distance. Students who age out of Hidden Springs Elementary are zoned to Hillside Junior High and then Boise High School, both of which sit outside the community in Boise proper.
The community around the school is distinctive. Hidden Springs was designed with neo-traditional architecture, rear-alley garages, and a pedestrian-friendly layout that differs from typical suburban subdivisions. The Town Association maintains two community pools, a centrally located clubhouse with a fitness center, and an extensive network of named hiking and biking trails. The historic Schick-Ostolasa Homestead, a working farm listed on the National Register of Historic Places, sits within the neighborhood. Publicly reported sources describe a community built around preserved open space held under a conservation easement by Ada County, with the Land Trust of the Treasure Valley providing oversight. The community also operates its own wastewater treatment facility that produces reusable effluent for watering parks and common areas. On-site retail is limited, so residents typically travel to Boise or Eagle for daily shopping needs.
The school is small for its grade band, and its enrollment is modest. A very small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which aligns with the affluent character of the surrounding community. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller representation from Hispanic students and students of two or more races, and very few students from other racial or ethnic groups. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available, so those populations could not be characterized here.
State assessment results from the most recent school year paint a generally strong academic picture, particularly in English language arts. Across grades three through six, ELA proficiency was solid, with the upper elementary grades standing out as especially strong. Math results were more varied. Grade five showed a clear and strong proficiency rate, while grades three, four, and six were reported as ranges rather than single point estimates, which is common when grade-level cohorts are small. Those math ranges spanned from moderate to very high, making it harder to pin down a single read, but the upper bounds suggest some cohorts are performing well. Science was assessed only in grade five and was also reported as a range rather than a point estimate. Average scale scores were not available across any subject or grade, and participation rates were missing from the data. No multi-year trend data was available for comparison, so it is not yet possible to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability over time.
The housing market around the school is expensive relative to both state and national benchmarks. Home values in the school's zip code sit well above the Idaho state benchmark and considerably above the national figure, and the price-to-income ratio is elevated. Rents have been rising modestly, and estimated monthly mortgage costs are steep relative to local rents, which means buying into this attendance zone requires a substantial income. A family considering the area should expect that the cost of entry is part of what shapes the school's demographic and economic profile.
Some gaps in the data are worth naming. No information was available on staffing ratios, course offerings, discipline data, attendance patterns, or Title I status. The district brief for Boise Independent District did not surface any parent-relevant changes of lasting impact from recent search results, so there is little to report on that front. Civil rights data was also absent.
For a family already drawn to Hidden Springs for its trail system, open space, and tight-knit planned-community feel, the elementary school appears to deliver strong academic results in ELA and solid-to-strong math outcomes, with the caveat that small cohort sizes make some results less precise than they would be at a larger school. The school's affluence and homogeneity are characteristics that come with the community's housing market rather than choices the school itself makes. A parent who wants a small, neighborhood-rooted elementary with good academics and outdoor access would find a lot to like here, and a parent with questions about math consistency in the earlier grades, special education services, or English learner support would want to ask the school directly, since those data points were not available to include here.
See more original research from School Decision →