Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on April 9, 2025

BOISE, ID – In 2024, less than half of Idaho’s high school graduates went directly to college. 

Just 43.6% enrolled in college the fall after earning their high school diploma — but that was still an improvement from the two years prior, when it hovered at 42%. 

Gov. Brad Little’s Idaho Launch program may have helped boost the figure, but the go-on rate still fell short of the State Board of Education’s goal to have 60% of graduates or more go directly on to higher education. 

To some, Idaho’s go-on rate is an indicator of how well Idaho public schools are preparing students for success after high school. To others, it’s a number that tells an incomplete story. 

While the state average go-on rate was relatively low, schools statewide are posting much higher go-on rates. Below, we take a look at the high schools that sent the highest percentage of graduates straight to college last year.

You can look up the go-on rate at your high school here.

Best go-on rates at non-traditional schools

Here’s a look at the charter and magnet schools statewide with the highest go-on rates. Most had relatively small class sizes and draw students who are more likely to be college-bound.

School, class size, go-on rate %

1. Meridian Medical Arts Charter, 36, 83.3%
2. Renaissance High (West Ada), 168, 80.4%
3. Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, 47, 76.6%
4. North Star Charter, 30, 73.3%
5. Gem Prep: Online, 29, 72.4%
6. Compass Public Charter, 50, 70%
7. Meridian Technical Charter, 33, 69.7%
8. Sage International of Boise, 45, 64.4%
9. Idaho Fine Arts Academy, 42, 64.3%
10. North Idaho Stem Charter Academy, 24, 62.5%

Best go-on rates at traditional schools

This list includes traditional public schools statewide. Most are rural and have small class sizes, with a few large, urban outliers. 

School, class size, go-on rate %

1. Genesee, 21, 76.2%
2. Timberline (Boise School District), 441, 72.3%
3. Boise (Boise School District), 469, 69.5%
4. Prairie (Cottonwood), 22, 68.2%
5. Castleford, 25, 68%
6. Buhl, 81, 66.7%
7. Garden Valley, 15, 66.7%
8. Coeur d’Alene, 284, 65.5%
9. Kendrick, 26, 65.4
10. Moscow, 170, 65.3%

Go-on rate rankings at schools with the largest graduating classes

In this list we ranked the 10 schools with the largest class sizes by go-on rate. Schools in East Idaho, where students tend to be more likely to serve a church mission before attending college, had the lowest go-on rates.

School, class size, go-on rate %

1. Timberline (Boise), 441, 72.3%
2. Boise, 469, 69.5%
3. Eagle (West Ada), 423, 63.6%
4. Owyhee (West Ada), 357, 63.0%
5. Mountain View (West Ada), 536, 57.5%
6. Centennial (West Ada), 361, 56.5%
7. Rocky Mountain (West Ada), 436, 50.2%
8. Kuna, 373, 42.9%
9. Rigby (Jefferson County), 444, 31.5%
10. Madison, 425, 23.8%

Go-on rate rankings at the largest school districts

Only the top five districts here exceeded the state go-on average of 43.6%. 

1. Boise, 61.4% 
2. Coeur d’Alene, 58.4%
3. West Ada, 54%
4. Twin Falls, 47%
5. Pocatello/Chubbuck, 43.8%
6. Idaho Falls, 42.5%
7. Nampa, 37.8%
8. Vallivue, 36.3%
9. Bonneville, 31.3%
10. Jefferson County, 28.1%

Idaho Education News data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this story.