The top reported proficiency rate is 86% in English language arts. The lowest is 81% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Edahow Elementary School
Edahow Elementary School sits on Pocatello Creek Road in the Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25, serving kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school. It is one of the elementary schools drawing from Pocatello, the Bannock County seat and principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area in southeastern Idaho. The city blends a university presence at Idaho State University with manufacturing employers like Amy's Kitchen and ON Semiconductor, healthcare at Portneuf Medical Center, and financial services anchored by Idaho Central Credit Union. Historically a railroad junction known as the Gate City, Pocatello grew as a processing and distribution hub for surrounding irrigated farmland, expanded industrially in the 1940s, and took on a technology edge in the 1990s. The Portneuf River traces the city's western side, and a greenway trail system of over fifteen built miles with more planned follows it through town.
State assessment results from the most recent school year paint a generally strong academic picture at the upper elementary grades. Fifth-grade proficiency in both English language arts and mathematics stood well above typical state levels, with a large majority of tested fifth-graders reaching proficient or higher on the ISAT. Third- and fourth-grade results were reported as ranges rather than point values, a practice that often reflects small grade-level cohort sizes where individual student privacy is protected, but the lower bounds of those ranges still sit at or above solid thresholds in both subjects. Fifth-grade science was reported as a range with a modest upper bound, which a parent may want to look into further with the school. Average scale scores, participation rates, and multi-year trend data were either missing or not reliably comparable, so a longitudinal read is not available from the provided data.
The school's enrollment is moderate for an elementary building, with fairly even distribution across the six grade levels. A meaningful but not dominant share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic or Latino population representing the next largest group, and small numbers of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. Data on individualized education programs and English learner services was not available in the provided materials, so those pieces of the student support picture remain unspecified. No civil-rights, discipline, staffing, or course-access data was provided, and because this is an elementary school, graduation rate does not apply.
Housing in the school's zip code is relatively affordable when set against Idaho's broader market. Typical home values sit below the state benchmark and near the national figure, while rents run well below what a monthly mortgage would cost at current interest rates. The price-to-income ratio and rent-to-income ratio both suggest that families with moderate earnings can find accessible housing options in the attendance area, whether buying or renting. The local economy benefits from a diversified employer base, with the school district itself counted among the area's largest employers alongside the university and medical center.
The district has recently adjusted elementary attendance areas to balance enrollment and capacity across schools, a change families considering a move into the Edahow zone should confirm directly with the district, since address-based assignment determines placement. District leadership has also committed to Visible Learning, which emphasizes how students learn rather than only what they learn, and to Restorative Practices aimed at building healthy relationships and school community. These pedagogical and cultural approaches are applied across School District 25.
What the data supports is a picture of a solidly performing elementary school in an affordable university town with a diversified economy and outdoor amenities along the Portneuf Greenway. The strongest academic evidence comes from fifth-grade proficiency, which is genuinely high. The gaps in the record, particularly around special populations, staffing, and earlier-grade point estimates, leave some questions open, but nothing in the available data suggests weakness. Families drawn to a mid-sized Idaho community with moderate housing costs and a district actively investing in its instructional culture may find Edahow worth a closer look.
See more original research from School Decision →