The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in English language arts. The lowest is 47% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Sawtooth Elementary School
Sawtooth Elementary School sits on Stadium Boulevard in Twin Falls, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Twin Falls District. It is a regular public school, neither charter nor magnet, and its enrollment falls in the moderate range for an elementary building of its grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic presence and small shares of other racial and ethnic groups. Roughly two in five students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Data on individualized education programs and English learner services was not available in the provided materials, so families whose children receive those supports may want to ask the school directly about what is in place.
On state assessments, Sawtooth's results paint a mixed but generally encouraging picture. In English language arts, proficiency climbs as students move through the grades, with third grade landing around the middle, fourth grade edging higher, and fifth grade reaching a strong level where a clear majority of tested students met or exceeded state standards. This upward arc across grade levels is a genuine positive signal. Math proficiency holds steadier across grades, with third and fifth grade landing near the midpoint and fourth grade dipping below that. Science, tested only in fifth grade, came in at a moderate level. Average scale scores and participation rates were not reported, and the data covers a single assessment cycle, so there is no trend to trace over time. The trajectory within the year, particularly in reading, suggests the school is doing something right as children progress through the upper elementary grades.
Twin Falls itself is the regional commercial hub for south-central Idaho and parts of northeastern Nevada. Publicly reported sources describe it as the largest city within a wide radius, the county seat of Twin Falls County, and the principal city of a metropolitan statistical area that includes Twin Falls and Jerome Counties. It was founded as a planned community on a broad plain at the south rim of the Snake River Canyon, and that planned-townsite heritage still shows in the downtown street grid. The city is largely auto-oriented, though a microtransit system called Ride TFT launched in the summer of recent years and exceeded early ridership projections. The College of Southern Idaho, a large community college, sits in the northwestern part of the city, and three state universities offer classes on that campus. Shoshone Falls, the Perrine Bridge over the Snake River Canyon, and the municipal golf course are among the civic and natural landmarks that give the area its character. The city has been growing steadily, and that growth is part of why transit and public services have expanded.
The housing market around Sawtooth is relatively accessible by Idaho standards. Typical home values in the school's zip code sit below the statewide benchmark and are close to the national figure, making this one of the more affordable pockets in a state where median prices have climbed. Rents are moderate, and the gap between monthly rent and an estimated mortgage payment is wide enough that renting remains meaningfully cheaper than buying at current interest rates. For families weighing a move into the attendance area, this affordability relative to the rest of Idaho is worth noting.
Several pieces of information were not available in the provided data. There was no locale classification, no discipline or course-access data, no staffing figures, and no attendance information. Title I status was not reported, and no program offerings were listed. The district brief turned up no parent-relevant changes such as curriculum shifts, bond measures, or property-tax adjustments that met a lasting-impact threshold, so there is nothing to relay on that front. Civil-rights data was empty as well. Families looking into Sawtooth will get the clearest academic read from the state assessment results, which show real strength in upper-grade reading and steady, if less dramatic, performance in math and science.
See more original research from School Decision →