Idaho’s most at-risk students continue to perform below their peers in reading and on standardized tests, according to results released last month.
For both the Spring Idaho Reading Indicator and Idaho Standards Achievement Test (ISAT), students with disabilities, learning English, experiencing homelessness, migrant students and those who are economically disadvantaged scored below the statewide proficiency percentage.
There were also disparities in proficiency by race, according to data EdNews obtained from the Idaho Department of Education.
– 71.8% of students are white
– 44% of students come from low income families
– 13% of students have a disability
– 7% of students are English language learners
For years, at-risk student populations have struggled on Idaho’s standardized tests. This year was no different.
On the IRI, which measures reading proficiency from kindergarten through third grade, students with disabilities showed the largest gap.
English learners also showed a large gap, even though some students with English as their second language were able to opt out of the exam because they met certain criteria. This spring, 96 students opted out, or less than 2%.
Test scores skyrocket when looking at just students who do not face economic struggles or have disabilities.
The ISAT shows similar struggles for at-risk students.
English language learners struggled the most on the annual standardized test, as only 8.7% of those students are proficient in English Language Arts. Economically disadvantaged students were 40.9% proficient compared with 64.6% of students who are not economically disadvantaged.
The biggest jump was among students without disabilities, who were 59.8% proficient compared with 15% of students with disabilities.
Math scores on the ISAT tell a similar story.
Idaho continues to show racial disparities in proficiency similar to previous years. On the ISAT, the state sets proficiency goals. On the IRI, the goal is that all students are reading proficiently by third grade.
2026 ISAT ELA Results
| Student Group | Proficient | Number of Test Takers | State Proficiency Goal |
| Asian | 66.3% | 1,806 | 68% |
| Black/African American | 29.7% | 1,893 | 31.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 36.5% | 33,831 | 37.6% |
| Native American or Alaska Native | 30.2% | 1,694 | 31.6% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 43% | 570 | 42.9% |
| White | 59.3% | 119,213 | 59.4% |
| Multiracial | 57.9% | 5,849 | 58.7% |
| All Students | 54% | 164,856 | 54.6% |
2026 ISAT Math Results
| Student Group | Proficiency | Test Takers | State Goal |
| Asian | 61.3% | 1,849 | 63% |
| Black/African American | 20.5% | 1,922 | 21.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 25.1% | 34,053 | 25.9% |
| Native American or Alaskan Native | 21.8% | 1,691 | 22.6% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 32% | 32 | 33.5% |
| White | 48.5% | 119,229 | 48.7% |
| Multiracial | 47% | 5,847 | 45.6% |
| All Students | 43.1% | 165,160 | 43.6% |
Spring 2026 IRI Scores
| Student Group | Proficiency | Fall to Spring Growth |
| Asian | 79.2% | 9% |
| Black/ African American | 60.4% | 12.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 58.1% | 13.2% |
| Native American or Alaskan Native | 51.3% | 10% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 70.4% | 11.8% |
| White | 74% | 13.7% |
| Multiracial | 75.1% | 12.4% |
| All Students | 70.4% | 13.4% |
Further Coverage of Spring 2026 Test Results
- Reading proficiency decreases slightly in first year of new assessment
- IRI Top 10s: See who performed best on new reading test
- ISAT scores see growth but fall short of state goals
- ISAT Top 10s: Here are the best performers among districts, charters and online schools
Idaho Education News data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report.
