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

No. Use the Custer 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 Custer 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 Custer County?

Start with the 5 listed public schools and 2 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Custer County Schools & Education

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

Custer County, Idaho

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

School Score

34/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

84.9%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

84.9%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 83.6%

Per-Pupil Spending

$7,237

National avg $13,239

State avg $6,288

School Score

34/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 28/100

State Score Position

#13

of 44 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Custer County

Measured School Summary

Custer County faces educational challenges with a school score of 34/100 and a graduation rate of 84.9%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $7,237 per pupil, Custer County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 22% above the Idaho average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 1.3 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 15% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Custer 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

5 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

34/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #13 of 44 Idaho counties with school score data.

Completion

84.9%

1.3 pts above the state average

Funding context

$7,237

$949 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

Custer County has 5 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 Custer 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

Custer 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

#13

of 44 Idaho counties with school score data. The county score is 6 points above 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.

CHALLIS JOINT DISTRICT

Elementary and high visible

328 students

Elementary 2Middle 0High 1Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

MACKAY JOINT DISTRICT

Elementary and high visible

231 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 0

2 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

CHALLIS JOINT DISTRICT is the largest listed district slice, with 3 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 Custer County?

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

Where do students transition after the visible grade band, and is that next school inside the same district path?

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?

Education Overview

About Schools in Custer County, Idaho

This context is screened for neutral school-data wording and should be read alongside the current metrics on this page. It is not school advice.

Challis and Mackay Joint Districts

The Challis Joint District is the largest provider with 328 students, followed by the Mackay Joint District with 231 students. These districts operate 100% of the local public schools, maintaining a traditional educational focus.

Small Schools in a Wilderness Setting

Every school in the county is classified as rural, with an intimate average school size of 112 students. Challis Elementary is the largest campus with 158 students, while the Stanley Elem/Jr High serves just 19 students in a remote mountain setting.

School Overview

Total Schools

in Custer County

Reported Enrollment

559

5 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary3

Middle0

High2

Other0

2 School Districts in Custer County

CHALLIS JOINT DISTRICT

3 schools

328 students

MACKAY JOINT DISTRICT

2 schools

231 students

5 Public Schools in Custer 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 5 of 5 matching schools

Public schools in Custer County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
CHALLIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	CHALLIS JOINT DISTRICT	CHALLIS, 83226Rural: Remote	PK–6	Primary	158
CHALLIS JR/SR HIGH SCHOOL	Record	CHALLIS JOINT DISTRICT	CHALLIS, 83226Rural: Remote	7–12	High	151
MACKAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	MACKAY JOINT DISTRICT	MACKAY, 83251Rural: Remote	PK–6	Primary	123
MACKAY JR/SR HIGH SCHOOL	Record	MACKAY JOINT DISTRICT	MACKAY, 83251Rural: Remote	7–12	High	108
STANLEY ELEM/JR HIGH SCHOOL	Record	CHALLIS JOINT DISTRICT	STANLEY, 83278Rural: Remote	KG–8	Primary	19

CHALLIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

CHALLIS JOINT DISTRICT

CHALLIS, 83226 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–6Primary158 students

CHALLIS JR/SR HIGH SCHOOL

CHALLIS JOINT DISTRICT

CHALLIS, 83226 / Rural: Remote

Record7–12High151 students

MACKAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

MACKAY JOINT DISTRICT

MACKAY, 83251 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–6Primary123 students

MACKAY JR/SR HIGH SCHOOL

MACKAY JOINT DISTRICT

MACKAY, 83251 / Rural: Remote

Record7–12High108 students

STANLEY ELEM/JR HIGH SCHOOL

CHALLIS JOINT DISTRICT

STANLEY, 83278 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–8Primary19 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$7,237

State avg $6,288

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Custer 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 Custer County?

Custer County has a school score of 34/100, 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 Custer County?

The high school graduation rate in Custer County is 84.9%, 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 Custer County spend per student?

Custer County spends $7,237 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools in Custer County, Idaho — FAQ

What are the major school districts in Custer County, Idaho?

What is the school experience like in Custer County?

Counties with Similar School Profile

Oneida County

Idaho

-1 pts

34/100

School score

Shoshone County

Idaho

-1 pts

34/100

School score

Clearwater County

Idaho

+1 pts

36/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated May 13, 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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