The Independent School District of Boise City #1 is the city's public elementary and secondary school system. The largest district in the state, it is administered by a seven-member, nonpartisan board of trustees that appoints a superintendent. In 2004 the Boise School District received the Gold Medal Award presented by Expansion Management Magazine . Factors weighed included graduation rates and college board scores; the community's financial commitment to its children's education; student-teacher ratios, per-pupil expenditures and teachers salaries; and level of affluence and adult education in the district. The ranking places the Boise School District in the upper 16 percent of all districts nationwide; Boise is the only district with this award in the state of Idaho. The Boise School District boasts highly educated teachers, fifty percent of whom have masters—more than double the state average.
The following is a summary of data regarding the Independent School District of Boise City #1 as of the 2001-2002 school year.
Total enrollment: 25,883
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 34
junior high schools: 8
senior high schools: 5
other: 2
Student/teacher ratio: elementary: 23.25:1; middle: 22.13:1; senior: 22.1:1
Teacher salaries
minimum: $27,501
maximum: $60,744
Funding per pupil: Not available
There are 22 private and parochial schools with a total enrollment of nearly about 3,100 students in the Boise area.
Public Schools Information: Boise School District Public Information Specialist, 8169 W. Victory Rd., Boise ID 83709; telephone (208)338-3400; fax (208)338-3487
Boise State University is the largest institution of higher learning in the state, with an enrollment of about 18,500 students. The university offers more than 190 programs, including an accredited Master's degree program in business administration, a construction management program, and an engineering program. The Simplot/Micron Technology Center, located on the university campus, has formed a partnership with the public and private sectors, designed to develop and present effective training programs. The facility contains state-of-the-art computer systems and video and audio production studios. Students in Boise may earn bachelors', masters', and doctoral degrees in civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering from the University of Idaho while attending classes on the Boise State campus, where the College of Technology has been in operation since 1990. Boise State University and the Boise community began planning for a community college in 2004; the campus will be dispersed through the city and serve diverse populations. The metropolitan area is also served by three private colleges: Albertson College of Idaho in Caldwell, Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, and Boise Bible College.
The Boise Public Library serves the greater Boise area with a collection of more than 355,000 volumes, as well as newspapers and magazines, government documents, videos, CDs, cassette tapes, Kidpacks, books on tape, computer software, CD-ROM indexes, and microfilm. A branch is located at Boise Towne Square Mall and a bookmobile and personal delivery of materials to the homebound are available. The Idaho State Library contains more than 36,000 volumes; it also operates an extensive blind and physically handicapped service, providing more than 58,000 talking books as well as more than 5,000 large-print books. Boise State University's library holds more than 530,000 books and more than 6,000 newspaper and serial subscriptions. A number of smaller private, corporate, and special interest libraries are also located in the Boise metropolitan area. Research activities in such fields as technology, audio and video production, computers, and data processing are conducted at centers in the Boise area.
Public Library Information: Boise Public Library, 715 South Capitol Boulevard, Boise, ID 83702-7115; telephone (208)384-4076