Can I use Benewah County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Benewah County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Benewah County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Benewah County?

Start with the 8 listed public schools and 2 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Benewah County Schools & Education

Name: Benewah County, Idaho Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Benewah County, Idaho

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

21/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

78.9%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

78.9%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 83.6%

Per-Pupil Spending

$6,810

National avg $13,239

State avg $6,288

School Score

21/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 28/100

State Score Position

#25

of 44 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Benewah County

Measured School Summary

Benewah County faces educational challenges with a school score of 21/100 and a graduation rate of 78.9%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $6,810 per pupil, Benewah County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 25% below the Idaho average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 4.7 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 8% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Benewah County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

8 public schools and 2 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

21/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #25 of 44 Idaho counties with school score data.

Completion

78.9%

4.7 pts below the state average

Funding context

$6,810

$522 above the state average

School coverage

2 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Benewah County has 8 public schools across 2 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Benewah County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Small-system county

Benewah County has a compact public-school footprint. A single school change, boundary rule, or district update can move the lived experience more than the county score suggests.

State position

#25

of 44 Idaho counties with school score data. The county score is 7 points below the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

ST MARIES JOINT DISTRICT

Elementary to high school visible

953 students

Elementary 2Middle 1High 2Other 0

5 listed schools in this county slice.

PLUMMER-WORLEY JOINT DISTRICT

Elementary to high school visible

357 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 1Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

ST MARIES JOINT DISTRICT is the largest listed district slice, with 5 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Benewah County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Benewah County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Data Story

Benewah County per-pupil spending surpasses Idaho state average

Education data brief for Benewah County, Idaho.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:Per-pupil spending

Benewah County’s per-pupil expenditure of $6,810 is its most distinctive metric, exceeding the Idaho state average of $6,288. While this remains well below the national average of $13,000, it is notable in a state context. The county serves 1,310 students across eight schools, divided between the St Maries Joint District and the Plummer-Worley Joint District. St Maries Joint District is the larger of the two, enrolling 953 students, with Heyburn Elementary being the largest school at 355 students. Most schools (six out of eight) are located in rural locales, with the remaining two in town settings. The graduation rate of 78.9% is lower than both the state average of 83.6% and the national average of 87.0%. The county's composite school score of 21.0 also trails the state's 27.6 and the national median of 50.0. Compare district boundaries and tax data before drawing further conclusions.

Sources

NCES Common Core of Data
U.S. Census Bureau ACS

School Overview

Total Schools

in Benewah County

Reported Enrollment

1,310

8 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary3

Middle2

High3

Other0

2 School Districts in Benewah County

ST MARIES JOINT DISTRICT

5 schools

953 students

PLUMMER-WORLEY JOINT DISTRICT

3 schools

357 students

8 Public Schools in Benewah County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

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Showing 8 of 8 matching schools

Public schools in Benewah County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
HEYBURN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	ST MARIES JOINT DISTRICT	ST MARIES, 83861Town: Distant	PK–5	Primary	355
ST MARIES HIGH SCHOOL	Record	ST MARIES JOINT DISTRICT	ST MARIES, 83861Rural: Fringe	9–12	High	285
ST MARIES MIDDLE SCHOOL	Record	ST MARIES JOINT DISTRICT	ST MARIES, 83861Town: Distant	6–8	Middle	211
LAKESIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	PLUMMER-WORLEY JOINT DISTRICT	PLUMMER, 83851Rural: Distant	PK–6	Primary	182
LAKESIDE HIGH SCHOOL	Record	PLUMMER-WORLEY JOINT DISTRICT	PLUMMER, 83851Rural: Distant	9–12	High	113
UPRIVER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	ST MARIES JOINT DISTRICT	FERNWOOD, 83830Rural: Remote	KG–6	Primary	90
LAKESIDE JR HIGH SCHOOL	Record	PLUMMER-WORLEY JOINT DISTRICT	PLUMMER, 83851Rural: Distant	7–8	Middle	62
ST MARIES COMMUNITY EDUCATION ALTERNATIVE	Record	ST MARIES JOINT DISTRICT	ST MARIES, 83861Rural: Fringe	9–12	Alternative	12

HEYBURN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

ST MARIES JOINT DISTRICT

ST MARIES, 83861 / Town: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary355 students

ST MARIES HIGH SCHOOL

ST MARIES JOINT DISTRICT

ST MARIES, 83861 / Rural: Fringe

Record9–12High285 students

ST MARIES MIDDLE SCHOOL

ST MARIES JOINT DISTRICT

ST MARIES, 83861 / Town: Distant

Record6–8Middle211 students

LAKESIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

PLUMMER-WORLEY JOINT DISTRICT

PLUMMER, 83851 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–6Primary182 students

LAKESIDE HIGH SCHOOL

PLUMMER-WORLEY JOINT DISTRICT

PLUMMER, 83851 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High113 students

UPRIVER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

ST MARIES JOINT DISTRICT

FERNWOOD, 83830 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–6Primary90 students

LAKESIDE JR HIGH SCHOOL

PLUMMER-WORLEY JOINT DISTRICT

PLUMMER, 83851 / Rural: Distant

Record7–8Middle62 students

ST MARIES COMMUNITY EDUCATION ALTERNATIVE

ST MARIES JOINT DISTRICT

ST MARIES, 83861 / Rural: Fringe

Record9–12Alternative12 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$6,810

State avg $6,288

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Benewah County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Idaho counties have the highest graduation rates?

Fremont County (97.0%), Teton County (97.0%), and Caribou County (92.7%) currently lead Idaho among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Idaho?

Across Idaho counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $6,288. The highest current county values are Blaine County ($11,244), Clark County ($10,402), and Lewis County ($8,754). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Benewah County?

Benewah County has a school score of 21/100, which is a lower measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Benewah County?

The high school graduation rate in Benewah County is 78.9%, which is below the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Benewah County spend per student?

Benewah County spends $6,810 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

Adams County

Idaho

+1 pts

22/100

School score

Boundary County

Idaho

-1 pts

20/100

School score

Lemhi County

Idaho

-2 pts

19/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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