8 Treasure Valley High Schools Receive Some of Idaho’s Lowest Ratings

We’ve already shown you some of the highest rated schools in Idaho.

We’ve looked at high schools, middle schools and elementary schools, so eventually, somebody was going to ask the question from the OTHER direction.

Read More:  Idaho's Best Public High Schools For 2026

Which Idaho Schools Are Sitting at the Bottom of the Ratings?

And when we started looking through the high schools, several of the schools receiving the lowest possible rating are right here in the Treasure Valley.

Before anybody gets angry, though, there’s something REALLY important we need to explain.

Two people reading books and writing in a notebook at a wooden picnic table

What Does a 1/10 GreatSchools Rating Actually Mean?

It does not mean that only 10% of a school is good or 90% of its students are failing and it certainly doesn’t mean that every student attending that school is getting a bad education.

GreatSchools gives public and public charter schools an overall rating from 1 to 10.

According to GreatSchools.org:

1-4: Below the state average
5-6: Around the state average
7-10: Above the state average

The organization says that number is intended to provide families with a snapshot of how a school is performing compared with other schools in the same state.

men and women wearing black and white graduation dress and mortar cap inside building

For high schools, the overall rating can draw from as many as three different areas: student or academic progress, standardized test performance and college readiness.

College readiness can include things like graduation rates, SAT or ACT performance and participation in advanced courses such as AP, IB or dual enrollment.

That’s also why it’s worth remembering that we’re looking at schools that aren’t necessarily identical.  Some of the schools near the bottom of Idaho’s list are traditional high schools, while others are alternative schools, charter schools or virtual schools serving students with very different needs and circumstances.

READ MORE:  Niche Ranks Idaho's Best Public Middle Schools For 2026

woman covering her face with an open book

A Low Rating For Your Idaho School Doesn’t Tell the Entire Story

Here’s a perfect example.  GreatSchools currently gives Nampa Senior High School a 1/10 overall rating, but look a little deeper and you’ll find something that doesn’t exactly scream “terrible school.”

GreatSchools’ most recent attendance data shows 92% of Nampa High students are regularly attending school, compared with an Idaho average of 85% and the seven community reviews displayed on its GreatSchools profile average 4.4 out of 5 stars.

Those reviews don’t change the 1/10 rating.  GreatSchools specifically says parent and student community reviews have no effect whatsoever on a school’s rating.

a yellow school crossing sign sitting in front of a bush

READ MORE:  20 Best Public Elementary Schools in Idaho for 2026

That’s a pretty good reminder of why one number shouldn’t be the only thing a family considers when choosing a school.  GreatSchools itself recommends using its rating as a starting point and considering other information, including visiting a school, talking with educators and hearing from other families.

Still, when we sorted through GreatSchools’ Idaho high school results, we found a surprising number of Treasure Valley schools at the very bottom of its scale.

That gives us eight Treasure Valley schools with ratings of either 1 or 2 out of 10, but they’re far from the only Idaho schools receiving low ratings.

Schools elsewhere in the state appearing with a 1/10 in the results include Buhl High School, Clearwater Valley Junior-Senior High School, Kootenai Bridge Academy, Challis Jr-Sr High School, Lakeside High School, Hansen Jr/Sr High School, Kamiah High School, Kellogg High School and Priest River Lamanna High School.

Google Street View

So this isn’t exclusively a Treasure Valley issue, but seeing Boise, Caldwell, Kuna and Nampa represented among the schools at the bottom of the rating scale certainly caught our attention.

And just like when we shared Idaho’s highest-rated schools, remember that a number on a website doesn’t know your kid.  It’s just one piece of information.

GreatSchools can tell you what the available data says about test scores, academic progress and college readiness, but it can’t tell you whether your child has an incredible teacher, finally found a program where they fit in or wakes up every morning excited to go to school.

That’s why even the organization creating these ratings says families should dig deeper.