IdahoIdaho

State Summary Report Card (PDF)
Complete State Report Card (PDF)

Performance Categories

Preparation

C

Improved

Idaho's fairly low performance in educating its young population could limit the state's access to a competitive workforce and weaken its economy.

  • Eighth graders perform well in math and science, but their scores are only fair in reading and low in writing.
  • Only 73% of Hispanics have a high school credential, compared with 91% of whites.

Participation

D

Not Improved

College opportunities for young and working-age adults are poor.

  • The likelihood of enrolling in college by age 19 is low—and has dropped by 9% since the early 1990s.
  • Twenty-three percent of Hispanic young adults are enrolled in college, compared with 34% of whites.

Affordability

F

Not Improved

Higher education has become less affordable for students and their families.

  • Poor and working-class families must devote 34% of their income, even after aid, to pay for costs at public four-year colleges.
  • Financial aid to low-income students is low. For every dollar in Pell Grant aid to students, the state spends only five cents.

Completion

C

Improved

Idaho performs well in awarding certificates and degrees relative to the number of students enrolled, but few students attain a bachelor's degree in a timely manner.

  • Forty-three percent of college students complete a bachelor's degree within six years.
  • Thirty-one percent of Hispanics graduate within six years, compared with 45% of whites.

Benefits

C-

Improved

A small proportion of residents have a bachelor's degree, and this weakens the state economy.

  • Nine percent of Hispanics have a bachelor's degree, compared with 26% of whites.
  • If all racial/ethnic groups had the same educational attainment and earnings as whites, total annual personal income in the state would be about $1 billion higher.

Learning

I

Like all states, Idaho receives an "Incomplete" in Learning because there is not sufficient data to allow meaningful state-by-state comparisons.

 

Change Over Time: Key Indicators

The following reflects Idaho’s performance and progress since the early 1990s on several key indicators.

Preparation

The percentage of young adults in Idaho who earn a high school diploma has increased since the early 1990s. High school completion is slightly above the U.S. average but below the top-performing states.

Participation

College enrollment of young adults in Idaho has declined slightly since the early 1990s. Compared with the national average and the top states, considerably fewer young adults are enrolled in Idaho (in percentages).

The enrollment of working-age adults, relative to the number of residents without a bachelor’s degree, has declined in Idaho—as it has nationally and in the best-performing states. The percentage attending college in Idaho is below the U.S. average and well below the top states.

Affordability

The share of family income, even after financial aid, needed to pay for college has risen substantially. To attend public two- and four-year colleges in Idaho, students and families pay less than the U.S. average but more than those in the best-performing states.

Completion

The number of undergraduate credentials and degrees awarded in Idaho, relative to the number of students enrolled, has increased since the early 1990s. Idaho performs at the U.S. average but below the top states on this measure.

Benefits

The percentage of residents who have a bachelor’s degree has increased in Idaho, but is below the U.S. average and well below the top states.