The top reported proficiency rate is 59% in Science. The lowest is 48% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Joplin Elementary School
Joplin Elementary School sits in West Boise, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Joint School District No. 2. It is a regular public school with a modest enrollment for its grade band, and its student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic community that represents the next largest group. A portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, though the share is not especially high relative to many Idaho elementaries. The school does not have charter or magnet status. Information on Title I designation, individualized education program counts, and English learner figures was not available in the data provided, so those characteristics cannot be described here.
Boise itself is Idaho's capital and largest city, a place where state government, technology, agriculture, and education all shape the economy. Micron Technology, Albertsons, Boise Cascade, J.R. Simplot Company, and IDACORP are among the major employers with roots there, and Boise State University sits adjacent to the downtown core. The city has a walkable center with cultural institutions like the Boise Art Museum, the Basque Block, and the Idaho State Capitol, connected by the Boise River Greenbelt trail system. Outside that core, development is largely auto-oriented, and the broader Treasure Valley has seen sustained population growth driven in part by technology investment. Joplin sits on the western side of this metro area, in a residential zone where suburban-style development dominates.
On state assessments through the Idaho ISAT, Joplin's results paint a mixed picture across grade levels. In math, third graders showed the strongest performance, with a majority demonstrating proficiency. Fourth grade math results dipped below that level, and fifth grade math was the weakest of the three, with fewer than half of tested students reaching proficiency. This pattern of declining math results from third through fifth grade is visible in the data, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how instruction and support shift across the upper elementary grades.
English language arts results follow a different trajectory. Third and fourth grade ELA proficiency was moderate, sitting below the math results for those same grades. But fifth grade ELA was the school's standout result, with a strong majority of tested students reaching proficiency. That fifth grade ELA figure is the highest single result across all subjects and grades reported for Joplin. In science, which is tested only at fifth grade in Idaho elementary schools, the proficiency rate landed in a moderate-to-solid range, closer to the third grade math level than the fifth grade math level. Average scale scores and participation rates were not available in the data, so those dimensions cannot be assessed.
The school serves pre-kindergarten, though the current enrollment data shows no pre-kindergarten students enrolled, which may reflect timing of the count or program-specific factors the data does not explain. No graduation rate applies to an elementary school, and that is expected given the grade band. Program offerings, course access details, staffing ratios, discipline data, and attendance information were not available in the provided data, so there is little to report on enrichment, specialized programming, or school climate measures. The district brief for Joint School District No. 2 did not surface any parent-relevant changes of lasting impact, so that area is left out rather than guessed at.
Housing in the school's zip code sits close to the statewide benchmark for Idaho and well above the national benchmark, reflecting Boise's position in a growing metro where demand has pushed values upward. Rents have risen modestly year over year, and the estimated monthly mortgage cost in this area exceeds typical rent by a considerable margin, which is common in markets where home prices are elevated relative to local incomes. For families considering the area, this means renting near Jopin is meaningfully more affordable month to month than carrying a mortgage, though long-term equity considerations depend on individual circumstances.
Joplin presents a school where upper-grade ELA is a clear strength, math results soften as students move toward fifth grade, and the surrounding community is part of a growing, economically diverse capital city. Families weighing this school would do well to ask about the math trajectory across grades and about programming details the public data does not capture.
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