The top reported proficiency rate is 40% in Math. The lowest is 29% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Shadow Butte Elementary School
Shadow Butte Elementary School sits on West Idaho Boulevard in Emmett, the county seat of Gem County and the only incorporated city in the county. It is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade, part of the Emmett Independent District, which is the single K-12 district serving all of Gem County. The school draws from a community that has shifted over the past generation from a farming and fruit-growing valley with a manufacturing base into a growing bedroom community within the Boise metropolitan area. Emmett sits on the south bank of the Payette River, and its civic life centers on a Main Street corridor with City Hall, county offices, retail, and restaurants. Schools occupy their own campus zones separate from downtown. The city is car-dependent, with no public transit system identified in publicly reported sources.
State testing results from the most recent ISAT administration show a mixed academic picture with a clear pattern worth a parent's attention. In mathematics, proficiency is strongest in third grade, where well over half of tested students met or exceeded proficiency. By fourth grade that share drops to roughly two-fifths, and by fifth grade it falls further to about a quarter. This downward slide across the upper elementary grades in math is the most pronounced pattern in the school's results. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly what supports are in place for students as they move from third into fourth and fifth grade.
English language arts results tell a different story. Third grade proficiency sits near two-fifths, fourth grade dips below that, and fifth grade rebounds to the highest ELA proficiency level in the school. Science is tested only in fifth grade at this level, and proficiency there is low, with fewer than a third of tested students meeting the bar. Average scale scores and participation rates were not available in the data provided. The data also does not include prior-year comparisons at the grade level, so it is hard to say whether these results represent a stable pattern or a one-year snapshot. No nationally standardized academic context was provided for this school.
The enrollment is moderate for an elementary school, with fairly even distribution across the six grade levels. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic or Latino presence and a small share of students identifying as two or more races or from other backgrounds. Just under half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Information on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not reported in the data we received. Title I status was also not available.
The housing market around Shadow Butte reflects Emmett's position as a growing commute community. Typical home values in the school's zip code sit below the Idaho state benchmark but above the national figure, and values have been creeping upward year over year. Rents are modest by national standards. The gap between what a family would pay monthly on a mortgage at current rates versus rent is wide, with ownership carrying a substantially higher monthly cost. This means families renting in the area face a relatively affordable market compared with buying, and those looking to purchase should expect prices that, while below state levels, still run above national norms.
Emmett itself is growing rapidly as a Boise metro spillover community, with population increasing since the most recent census at a brisk annual pace. The city's major employers are the school district and county government, with local retail and agricultural-support businesses rounding out the employment base. The closure of the Boise Cascade manufacturing facility years ago marked a turn from industrial employment toward residential-commuter character, and no large private-sector replacement has been publicly identified since. The city describes itself as working to be the place people want to call home, and the Payette River provides a natural recreational anchor. We looked for recent district-level changes such as levy or bond activity, curriculum shifts, or policy changes, and found little of lasting impact on record.
Shadow Butte does not have magnet or charter status. No data on staffing ratios, course access, discipline, or attendance was available for this school. No program offerings such as gifted education, dual language, or after-school enrichment were listed in the data provided. A neighbor comparison set was also not available, so we cannot position this school against nearby elementary schools in Gem County or the broader region.
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