The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in English language arts. The lowest is 46% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Mcghee Elementary School
McGhee Elementary sits on Warner Avenue in Lewiston, one of seven elementary schools spread across this river-confluence city in the Lewiston Independent District. It serves kindergarten through fifth grade in a regular public school setting, with enrollment distributed fairly evenly across the six grades. The student body is predominantly white, with small Hispanic and multiracial groups and a handful of students from other backgrounds. Nearly half the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which puts the school in a middle band of economic need for the area. Data on individualized education programs and English learners was not available, so those population sizes are unknown here.
On Idaho's ISAT, the most recent results tell a mixed story. Fifth grade carried the strongest scores, with roughly half of tested students reaching proficiency in math and slightly more than half in English language arts. Third and fourth grade proficiency in both subjects came back as reported ranges rather than exact figures, a pattern that commonly appears when small grade-level cohorts narrow what the state can disclose precisely. Those ranges are wide enough to leave real uncertainty about where the true rate sits, but their lower bounds are modest and their upper bounds reach into the middle of the pack. Science results for fifth grade were suppressed. Average scale scores were missing across every grade and subject, so there is no complementary measure of how students are scoring beyond the proficiency line. A parent weighing McGhee against other Lewiston elementaries may want to ask the school directly about its current year-to-year trend and what supports are in place for the grade bands whose results came back as ranges.
The school's setting shapes the experience in ways that matter for families. Lewiston is a regional hub at the meeting of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers, mixing industrial, commercial, residential, and educational land uses. Major employers include Clearwater Paper's pulp and paper mill, ammunition manufacturers CCI and Speer Bullet, St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, Lewis-Clark State College, and Coleman Oil. The Port of Lewiston, Idaho's only seaport, supports distribution and logistics jobs. The city runs two fixed bus routes with connections across the river to Clarkston, Washington. Community events such as the Dogwood Festival, Hot August Nights, and the Lewiston Roundup bring periodic street life. Terrain rises steeply from the downtown riverfront into the surrounding hillsides, which affects how families navigate the city. McGhee is one of seven elementaries the district operates, so the placement across neighborhoods suggests families in this part of Lewiston have a nearby option rather than a single centralized campus.
Housing in the school's zip code sits below Idaho's statewide benchmark but close to the national figure, making Lewiston relatively affordable for a family looking to buy compared with much of the state. Renting comes in meaningfully cheaper per month than carrying a mortgage at current rates, which could matter for families weighing near-term moves. The local economy is described as slowly diversifying, and the city has identified several industrial and waterfront development sites as growth priorities. No specific recent changes within the Lewiston Independent District surfaced in the available search, so there is little to report on strategic shifts or program rollouts at the district level.
What McGhee offers is a conventional neighborhood elementary pathway in a working regional city with a diversified employment base and modest housing costs. Its academic results are neither distinctly strong nor distinctly weak, with fifth grade standing out as the brighter spot and the earlier grades leaving more room for questions. Families drawn to Lewiston's river-town character and its mix of manufacturing, healthcare, and higher-education employment will find a school that fits that context without extraordinary signals in either direction.
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