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Culdesac School

Summary:

Culdesac School is an alternative public school serving grades PK-12 in the small town of Culdesac, Idaho, with a student population of 114. While the school has some notable strengths, such as high graduation rates and a low student-teacher ratio, it also faces challenges in academic performance and student engagement compared to nearby schools.

One of Culdesac School's key strengths is its strong graduation rates, which have ranged from 80% to 100% over the past 5 years, significantly higher than the 66.7% 4-year graduation rate at Highland School. However, the school's academic performance, as measured by ISAT proficiency rates, lags behind the state and nearby Genesee School, with proficiency rates of just 20.7% in Math, 29.4% in Science, and 27.8% in English Language Arts. Additionally, Culdesac School has a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 32.17% to 63.37% over the past 3 years, significantly higher than the 20.26% rate at Genesee School.

Despite these challenges, Culdesac School has a more diverse student population compared to the nearby Genesee School and Highland School, which are predominantly White. The school also has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 7.9 to 9.7 over the past 3 years, lower than the ratios at Genesee School (13.6) and Highland School (10.5). However, Culdesac School has experienced relatively high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 13% to 14.2% in the past two school years, higher than the 17.3% rate at Genesee School and the 13.3% rate at Highland School.


Detail:

Public, Alternative PK, KG-12

 600 Culdesac Avenue
       Culdesac, ID  83524-8700

(208) 843-5413

District: Culdesac Joint District

SchoolDigger Rank:
265th of 301 Idaho Alternative Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $19,993 Help


Student/teacher ratio:  9.4 Help
Number of students:  115

Racial breakdown:

White:
69.6%
American Indian:
13.9%
Two or more races:
7.0%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  53.9% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Culdesac School ranks worse than 88% of elementary schools in Idaho. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 12.72. (See more...)
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Compare Details Culdesac School ranks worse than 88.4% of middle schools in Idaho. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 12.72. (See more...)
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Compare Details Culdesac School ranks worse than 86.8% of high schools in Idaho. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 5.86. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Culdesac School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (69.6%), American Indian (13.9%), two or more races (7%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 53.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Culdesac School is 9.4. (See more...)
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Compare Culdesac School employs 12.1 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Culdesac School is $19,993.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Culdesac School:

SchoolDigger ranks Culdesac School 265th of 301 Idaho public elementary schools. (See Culdesac School in the ranking list.)
SchoolDigger ranks Culdesac School 145th of 164 Idaho public middle schools. (See Culdesac School in the ranking list.)
SchoolDigger ranks Culdesac School 138th of 159 Idaho public high schools. (See Culdesac School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


White students:




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Rank History for Culdesac School

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Compare
Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools ID State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2010 30.73 291st 356 18.3%
2011 18.86 331st 359 7.8%
2012 21.15 320th 354 9.6%
2013 26.73 306th 357 14.3%
2024 12.72 265th 301 12.0%
See the entire list of Idaho Alternative School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Idaho Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Culdesac School

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Compare
Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools ID State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2013 40.08 112th 173 35.3%
2024 12.72 145th 164 11.6%
See the entire list of Idaho Alternative School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Idaho Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Culdesac School

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Rank History for all high school students at Culdesac School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools ID State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2008 36.57 119th 151 21.2%
2010 28.52 143rd 169 15.4%
2024 5.86 138th 159 13.2%
See the entire list of Idaho Alternative School Rankings!

Rank History for high school White students at Culdesac School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools ID State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 5.77 75th 78 3.8%
See the entire list of Best Idaho Alternative Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Idaho Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Culdesac School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 
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Data source: Idaho Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)
0%

0%

0%

0%

100%

  

Reviews:
by a citizen
Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Open Quote Teachers and parentss alike: avoid Culdesac School! It is one of the most anti-academic, anti-teacher schools around.

Culdesac is a white-majority public school in a rural, impoverished white-majority town (Culdesac, Idaho) surrounded by the Nez Perce Reservation. The school spends approximately $20,000 per student, a fortune by Idaho standards (average around $9500) and gets little academic achievement in return.

Culdesac School test scores tell the story. The Idaho Standards Assessment Test (ISAT) results for school year 2016-17 were listed on the "Continuous Improvement Plan" at Culdesac's website. The scores are appalling: MATHEMATICS, Grades 7-10: 24 percent proficient, 62 percent Level 1. Note: "Level 1" means Below Basic. The ISAT levels are: Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, Advanced. Only Proficient and Advanced meet Idaho standards for proficiency. Grades 3-6: 14 percent proficient, 48 percent Level 1. ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, Grades 7-10: 38 percent proficient, 21 percent Level 1. Grades 3-6: 14 percent proficient, 47 Level 1. The proficiency in ELA in two of the elementary grades was ZERO. The proficiency in MATHEMATICS in two of the elementary grades was ZERO. In the previous school year (2015-16), the proficiency in MATHEMATICS in two of the secondary grades was ZERO.

The only academic ray of light at Culdesac was SCIENCE. The 2016-17 Science ISAT scores were PHENOMENAL (only Grades 5, 7, 10 are tested in science on the ISAT): SCIENCE, Grade 5: 80 percent proficient. Grade 7: 40 percent proficient. BIOLOGY, Grade 10: 67 percent proficient. Also, nearly HALF of the SCIENCE ISAT scores in Grades 7 and 10 were "Advanced". The Grades 7 and 10 class average ISAT SCIENCE scores were STATISTICALLY EQUAL TO THE STATEWIDE AVERAGES.

And what did the Culdesac School Administration do in response to the crashing Math & English scores and the soaring Science scores? THEY FIRED THE SCIENCE TEACHER.

"Fired" means: in Spring 2017 they forced her to resign by threatening her with probation and with reducing her position to part time. Why did they do this? They did this 24 hours after the science teacher showed a film about EVOLUTION in her science classes. Read more about it in the local newspaper:
https://lmtribune.com/northwest/ex-teacher-files-tort-claim-against-culdesac-school/article_bc4f24b2-3dfa-516c-a14f-9d5a5a02828f.html

More recently, Culdesac School did it again: they fired the science teacher (who had replaced the previous science teacher they fired in 2017) for suspicious reasons. Like the previous teacher, the current teacher was in her third year and thus was entitled by law to be evaluated solely for job performance. The school has repeatedly violated the state statutes governing teacher personnel management.

The replacement teacher for the 2020-21 school year is NOT CERTIFIED TO TEACH HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE.

Culdesac School was recently listed by the Idaho State Department of Education as one of the worst-performing schools in the state. Read about it:
https://www.idahoednews.org/news/state-identifies-lowest-performing-public-schools/

In short, Culdesac School is indeed a dead end, for students and teachers alike. Whether you are a parent or a teacher, just keep going on US 95, to nearby Craigmont or Lapwai. Both towns have schools with much better academic reputations. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Culdesac School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1991 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 163 163
1992 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 195 195
1993 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 181 181
1994 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 200 200
1995 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 246 246
1996 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 246 246
1997 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 248 248
1998 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 238 238
1999 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 236 236
2000 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 228 228
2001 200 3 1 2 10 n/a n/a 0 216
2002 191 2 1 1 12 n/a n/a 0 207
2003 191 2 1 1 12 n/a n/a 0 207
2004 169 1 2 5 22 n/a n/a 0 199
2005 168 0 4 6 21 n/a n/a 0 199
2006 140 0 1 4 12 n/a n/a 0 157
2007 130 0 1 4 16 n/a n/a 0 151
2008 113 0 0 0 8 n/a n/a 0 121
2009 114 0 1 1 7 n/a n/a 0 123
2010 107 1 1 1 6 n/a n/a 0 116
2011 90 1 1 1 9 0 0 0 102
2012 65 0 0 1 9 0 0 0 75
2013 63 0 0 0 16 0 2 0 81
2014 71 0 0 0 9 0 9 0 89
2015 74 0 0 2 11 0 10 0 97
2016 65 0 0 1 6 0 5 0 77
2017 75 0 0 6 11 0 7 0 99
2018 81 0 0 4 6 0 8 0 99
2019 81 1 2 3 6 0 1 0 94
2020 84 1 3 4 10 0 4 0 106
2021 79 1 0 4 13 0 4 0 101
2022 90 1 0 7 12 0 5 0 115
2023 77 2 3 7 15 0 10 0 114
2024 80 2 2 7 16 0 8 0 115

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Culdesac School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1991 163 13.7 11.8 27
1992 195 14.1 13.8 34.4
1993 181 14.2 12.7 32
1994 200 15.2 13.2 27.5
1995 246 16.7 14.7 28.5
1996 246 16.7 14.7 28.5
1997 248 16.7 14.9 27.8
1998 238 17.1 13.9 21.8
1999 236 17.3 13.6 39
2000 228 18.4 12.4 34.2
2001 216 17.5 12.3 39.8
2002 207 16.7 12.4 39.1
2003 207 16.7 12.4 39.1
2004 199 16.5 12.1 50.3
2005 199 14.8 13.4 48.2
2006 157 14.4 10.9 49
2007 151 14.4 10.5 50.3
2008 121 14.4 8.4 52.1
2009 123 14.2 8.7 52
2010 116 12.5 9.2 62.1
2011 102 11.5 8.8 53.9
2012 75 12.1 6.1 72
2013 81 12.5 6.4 79
2014 89 12.5 7.1 70.8
2015 97 12.0 8.0 59.8
2016 77 12.0 6.4 59.7
2017 99 12.3 8.0 69.7
2018 99 13.5 7.2 63.6
2019 94 12.4 7.5 54.3
2020 106 12.7 8.3 60.4
2021 101 12.7 7.9 63.4
2022 115 12.3 9.2 32.2
2023 114 11.6 9.7 54.4
2024 115 12.1 9.4 53.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Culdesac School

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Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1991 163 13.7 11.8 27
1992 195 14.1 13.8 34.4
1993 181 14.2 12.7 32
1994 200 15.2 13.2 27.5
1995 246 16.7 14.7 28.5
1996 246 16.7 14.7 28.5
1997 248 16.7 14.9 27.8
1998 238 17.1 13.9 21.8
1999 236 17.3 13.6 39
2000 228 18.4 12.4 34.2
2001 216 17.5 12.3 39.8
2002 207 16.7 12.4 39.1
2003 207 16.7 12.4 39.1
2004 199 16.5 12.1 50.3
2005 199 14.8 13.4 48.2
2006 157 14.4 10.9 49
2007 151 14.4 10.5 50.3
2008 121 14.4 8.4 52.1
2009 123 14.2 8.7 52
2010 116 12.5 9.2 62.1
2011 102 11.5 8.8 53.9
2012 75 12.1 6.1 72
2013 81 12.5 6.4 79
2014 89 12.5 7.1 70.8
2015 97 12.0 8.0 59.8
2016 77 12.0 6.4 59.7
2017 99 12.3 8.0 69.7
2018 99 13.5 7.2 63.6
2019 94 12.4 7.5 54.3
2020 106 12.7 8.3 60.4
2021 101 12.7 7.9 63.4
2022 115 12.3 9.2 32.2
2023 114 11.6 9.7 54.4
2024 115 12.1 9.4 53.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Culdesac School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $2,193 (11.0%) $17,801 (89.0%) $19,993

Data source: Idaho Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Culdesac School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Total Students94114
 21.3%
African American12
 100%
American Indian615
 150%
Asian23
 50%
Hispanic37
 133.3%
Pacific Islander00
White8177
 4.9%
Two or More Races110
 900%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients54.3%54.4%
 0.1%

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Frequently Asked Questions about Culdesac School

Students at Culdesac School are 70% White, 14% American Indian, 7% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 2% African American, 2% Asian.

Culdesac School ranks in the bottom 12.0% of Idaho alternative schools.

In the 2023-24 school year, 115 students attended Culdesac School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Idaho Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.




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