Niche ranked the best public elementary schools in Idaho. Here are Ada County’s top 15

Shaun Goodwin
·4 min read

Ten of Idaho’s 15 best public elementary schools are in the Treasure Valley, according to school-ranking site Niche.

After analyzing data and reviews of the state’s 438 public elementary schools, Niche graded each school for its academics, diversity and teachers.

The 2023 report ranked Legacy Charter School in Nampa as the best public elementary school in the state.

Legacy Charter School has a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1 and earned an overall grade of A in the Niche ranking. Legacy Charter earned an A+ rating for teachers, an A in academics and a B in diversity.

“According to state test scores, 77% of students are at least proficient in math and 77% in reading,” Niche reports.

Niche grades and analyzes schools and neighborhoods throughout the U.S. using data from the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Census and FBI, plus more than 100 million reviews and survey responses from students, parents and residents to rank schools in every county and city in the country.

“We get deep, too, asking questions about everything from college prep to cafeteria food,” Niche states on its website. “Though quality data is a priority, at Niche, we know that a school is more than a collection of stats.”

Niche also looks at each school’s academics and culture.

  • Academic Grade: Based on state assessment proficiency and survey responses on academics from students and parents.

  • Teacher Grade: Based on teacher salary, teacher absenteeism, state test results and survey responses on teachers from students and parents.

  • District Grade: Based on rigorous academic and student life data analysis and millions of reviews from students and parents.

  • Culture & Diversity Grade: Based on racial and economic diversity and survey responses from students and parents on school culture and diversity.

  • Parent/Student Surveys Grade: Niche survey responses scored on a 1-5 scale regarding the overall experience of students and parents from the school.

It is worth noting that Niche rankings are calculated using public data and reviews from the public and alumni and should not be taken as definitive rankings.

Top public elementary schools in Ada County

Here are the top 15 public elementary schools in Ada County, according to Niche:

Legacy Charter School (1st), Liberty Charter School (3rd) and Gem Prep Online (12th) all ranked within the top 15 schools in Idaho but are not listed below because they are in Canyon County.

1 - Falcon Ridge Public Charter School

  • Falcon Ridge Public Charter Local Education Authority

  • 308 students, student-teacher ratio of 26 to 1

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: B

  • Teachers: A+

2 - Sage International School Boise

  • Sage International School District

  • 1,078 students, student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A-

  • Diversity: A-

  • Teachers: A+

3 - Highlands Elementary School

  • Boise School District

  • 280 students, student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: C+

  • Teachers: A+

4 - Collister Elementary School

  • Boise School District

  • 280 students, student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: C+

  • Teachers: A+

5 - Discovery Elementary School

  • West Ada School District

  • 280 students, student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: B-

  • Teachers: A+

6 - Roosevelt Elementary School

  • Boise School District

  • 276 students, student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: B

  • Teachers: A+

7 - Eagle Elementary School of the Arts

  • West Ada School District

  • 295 students, student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: B

  • Teachers: A+

8 - Pioneer School of the Arts

  • West Ada School District

  • 295 students, student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1

  • Overall grade: A-

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: B-

  • Teachers: A+

9 - Barbara Morgan STEM Academy

  • West Ada School District

  • 412 students, student-teacher ratio of 17 to 1

  • Overall grade: A-

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: B

  • Teachers: A+

10 - Cecil D. Andrus Elementary School

  • West Ada School District

  • 464 students, student-teacher ratio of 18 to 1

  • Overall grade: A-

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: B-

  • Teachers: A+

11 - Galileo Magnet School

  • West Ada School District

  • 729 students, student-teacher ratio of 21 to 1

  • Overall grade: A-

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: C+

  • Teachers: A

12 - Adams Elementary School

  • Boise School District

  • 278 students, student-teacher ratio of 17 to 1

  • Overall grade: A-

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: B-

  • Teachers: A

13 - Pleasant View Elementary School

  • West Ada School District

  • 729 students, student-teacher ratio of 21 to 1

  • Overall grade: A-

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: B

  • Teachers: A+

14 - Eagle Hills Elementary School

  • West Ada School District

  • 556 students, student-teacher ratio of 20 to 1

  • Overall grade: A-

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: B

  • Teachers: A+

15 - Paramount Elementary School

  • West Ada School District

  • 497 students, student-teacher ratio of 21 to 1

  • Overall grade: A-

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: B-

  • Teachers: A