Original Research by School Decision on St Maries High School
St. Maries High School sits in a small rural timber town that serves as the county seat of Benewah County. The school draws students from a community where the local economy runs on logging, with some mining and farming rounding out the base. A considerable retirement community has taken root here as well. The town itself is compact, framed by the St. Maries River to the east and the St. Joe River to the north. The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, a long flat rails-to-trails path, passes through the area and gives residents a walking and cycling option. Paul Bunyan Days over Labor Day weekend brings logging competitions, running events, and music, tying the town's seasonal rhythm to its timber heritage.
The high school is a regular public school serving grades nine through twelve, with an enrollment on the smaller side for a high school. The student body is predominantly white, with small Hispanic, multiracial, and other representations. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school operates within St. Maries Joint School District, which also runs the elementary and middle schools in town. Because the town covers only a small area, these campuses sit in or near the town center rather than on separated grounds, giving the school a rooted, community-integrated feel.
State assessment data was sparse in the records reviewed. The academic performance summary carried no subject-level results, and the multi-year trend data was limited to a single ELA series with an internal inconsistency that makes it hard to draw a clear read on proficiency. No graduation rate was provided. IEP and English learner counts were also missing. A parent wanting to understand how students are performing on state measures would want to ask the school directly for current results, since what was available does not give a reliable picture. These gaps may reflect the limited reporting in the source data rather than anything about the school itself.
The broader district has been moving in directions that shape what families can expect. St. Maries Joint District adopted a five-year strategic plan running through 2028, with publicly reported goals around improving reading proficiency, expanding career-technical education, upgrading facilities, and strengthening community engagement. The district also established a virtual academy serving grades K through 8, which gives younger families a remote option but does not extend to the high school level. In spring 2024, district voters approved a one-year supplemental levy supporting a large portion of the annual budget, covering staffing, extracurricular activities, and programs not funded by the state. The passage of this levy matters for high school families because it underwrites the staffing and activities that shape day-to-day school life. No specific information on AP courses, dual-credit pathways, or career-technical offerings at the high school level was available, so a family would need to inquire directly about what academic and program options the school currently offers.
Housing in the St. Maries ZIP code sits below the Idaho state benchmark and close to the national figure, making it relatively affordable compared with much of the state. Rent data was not available, so the rental picture cannot be characterized here. The town's population dipped between an earlier census and 2020 but has since rebounded with slow growth, and no major new housing developments were identified in publicly reported sources.
What emerges is a small rural high school in a timber-dependent community where the district has been investing in strategic planning and has secured local funding to maintain programs and staffing. The academic picture could not be clearly drawn from available data, and several key measures were absent. Families considering St. Maries High School would benefit from direct conversations with the school about test results, graduation outcomes, course offerings, and support services.
See more original research from School Decision →