2023 Best Charter Schools in the Boise Area

• Kuna, ID•

• Public School•

• PK, K-8

• •
  Rating 4.67 out of 5  3 reviews

Alum: It is a good school. The small classes make it easy to learn and easy to make friends. I’ve graduated now, but when I was there I loved it. However, since I’ve gone, I’ve heard that there’s been bullying and the rules have gotten stricter. A bad thing about this school is that the rules are very tight and many of them are not important. There was a general feeling of anger towards the faculty because of that. However, the education is exceptional, and I heard that many classes are taught one grade level above what is required. When I was there, they had choir, theater, creative writing, extra math, and PE as their extracurriculars. That was a few years ago, so I expect they’ve expanded or improved on their classes. They have sports, but I’m not sure which ones.... Read 3 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 274

• Student-teacher ratio 18:1

• West Ada School District, ID•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.18 out of 5  163 reviews

Junior: This school has been amazing! The small environment makes the entire high school experience more comfortable, especially for someone with social anxiety.... Read 163 reviews

• grade A

• Students 195

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Nampa, ID•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 4.08 out of 5  60 reviews

Senior: I've been at Liberty Charter school since 4th grade, and I'll be graduating this week from Liberty. This school has such a great community. Everyday I'm surrounded with teachers, classmates, and friends that make going to school and learning an amazing experience. The rules are a lot stricter here, but they are still reasonable and manageable, and it's all worth it to be part of such a great environment. This school has been one of the major deciding factors in my career choice of becoming an elementary school teacher, hopefully I can go back and work at Liberty some day.... Read 60 reviews

• grade A

• Students 396

• Student-teacher ratio 18:1

• Boise, ID•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 3.98 out of 5  41 reviews

Parent: We are in our 10th year at Sage and have nothing but wonderful things to say about it. We started in kindergarten, and their IB program provides so much hands-on inquiry-based learning to make school fun for young learners. The teachers are all amazing. There is no school on Fridays, giving students a chance to recoup or catch up on schoolwork, and the teachers and staff have a full day each week to collaborate, prep, and learn. Their middle school and high school programs are rigorous but fair, and do a wonderful job preparing our kids for college, career, and just life in general! They teach kids to be critical thinkers, but also caring and responsible citizens of the world. We love Sage!... Read 41 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,062

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Vallivue School District, ID•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 3.89 out of 5  62 reviews

Senior: I enjoyed participating with Thomas Jefferson Charter School from Kindergarten through my senior year. I particularly enjoyed the staff's adaptability for each student by providing more difficult and particularly useful skills to use not only for school but for life. This school pushed me to accomplish things I never thought would be possible. I have learned valuable skills and haven't ever felt lost during my transition from High School to college. I personally wouldn't change any of the staff or practices done at this school, and all staff here are very easy to talk to and get in touch with. I would recommend this school to anyone looking to receive a quality schooling experience whether it be for themselves or for their children.... Read 62 reviews

• grade A

• Students 365

• Student-teacher ratio 18:1

• West Ada School District, ID•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.04 out of 5  52 reviews

Senior: At Meridian Technical Charter High School, I have learned so much. I was able to easily take dual credit classes, learn at a fast pace, and be prepared for a career in Computer Science! This school prepared me for college and a job through many college readiness classes and internship opportunities that I would not have been able to earn before. Would definitely recommend this high school to incoming freshmen in Meridian!... Read 52 reviews

• grade A

• Students 202

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Nampa, ID•

• Public School•

• K-8

• grade A minus

• Students 276

• Student-teacher ratio 23:1

• Eagle, ID•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 3.76 out of 5  42 reviews

Alum: It is a bit smaller than public schools. Also, people say there are couple other schools in the Boise Metropolitan area that are STEM, etc., that are better. Yet our school continues to outperform every school in the Boise Valley area with a population approaching a million. According to Newsweek, #1 in the Boise Area, #2 in the state of Idaho, #46 nationwide amongst charter schools and 173rd in the entire United States. The school is an International Business School (IBS). They start preparing them in elementary school to be ready when they get the 6th grade they are actually learning 7th grade material. This allows them to work on their senior projects, for instance building web pages for a business and taking college level classes. The teachers and staff have a great relationship with the students. They have smaller team sports. However, if good enough, you can play with the public school a short drive from the school. Small sacrifice for a great education. GO HUSKIES!... Read 42 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 969

• Student-teacher ratio 20:1

• Nampa, ID•

• Public School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 3.54 out of 5  67 reviews

Junior: I absolutely love my school! It is a challenging and engaging school full of teachers concerned for their student's success. My school is geared towards advanced learning and success, not to mention the amazing environment! This school is truly amazing!... Read 67 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 364

• Student-teacher ratio 21:1

• Boise, ID•

• Public School•

• K-8

• grade A minus

• Students 261

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Caldwell, ID•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 4.18 out of 5  66 reviews

Parent: Vision Charter is amazing! They have teachers and staff that care about the students! The teachers are friendly, kind, and willing to go above and beyond for their kids! Vision offers kids the ability to graduate with an AAS as well as a high school diploma. They have started a sports program with baseball, basketball, tennis, swim team, and softball. I highly recommend Vision Charter School and wouldn’t think of Sending my kids anywhere else!... Read 66 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 714

• Student-teacher ratio 22:1

• Boise Independent School District, ID•

• K-8

• grade A minus

• Students 411

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Meridian, ID•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 3.87 out of 5  77 reviews

Sophomore: I've had rough experiences with public schools in the past, 3 different schools to be exact. The teachers didn't put much effort into making sure I understood the lessons and the overall environment was pretty toxic. Compass, however, is quite different. A lot of kids don't like the culture at Compass, but I, on the other hand, much prefer it. There is a smaller teacher-to-student ratio, so the teachers can really focus on helping each student and form valuable relationships. The academic requirements are also more rigorous, but I think that just prepares us more for college, or provided better opportunities for those who aren't interested in college.... Read 77 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 1,213

• Student-teacher ratio 20:1

• Nampa School District, ID•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  169 reviews

Parent: My son was able to start attending Idaho Arts this year, as a first grader, and I am so glad we waited for him to start public school, allowing this to be his first. As a neuro-divergent child, he has struggled with social interactions and impulse control, despite being academically being advanced. Idaho Arts has challenged him, while also helping him overcome his struggles, embraced his uniqueness, and really helped him grow. He comes home daily, excitedly telling me about his good day at school and when asked what his favorite part of school is, he says it’s all the arts, which he gets to enjoy every day!... Read 169 reviews

• grade B

• Students 1,274

• Student-teacher ratio 20:1

• Oregon Department of Education, OR•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 4.5 out of 5  8 reviews

Senior: Four Rivers Community School helped me figure out what I would like to after high school. As a student there the academics and assignments are challenging, interactive, and make me think critically. I wish that we would have more school traditions, more clubs and activities, and some more spirit. Other than that the school is great. Teachers are great, and so are the administrators.... Read 8 reviews

• grade B

• Students 350

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• Boise, ID•

• Public School•

• K-8

• grade B minus

• Students 245

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Caldwell, ID•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 4.5 out of 5  4 reviews

Parent: An amazing school of choice! My children have received a high quality, well-rounded education through the tireless efforts of the wonderful teachers at HCCS. The support and communication from the administrator, office staff, teachers, PTSO gives me great confidence in the school. As other reviewers have noted the test results on this site are not accurate. However, the SDE website shows HCCS’s test scores are very comparable, actually higher, than the local district and this charter schools’ demographics shows the diversity of the Caldwell area. I would highly recommend this school!... Read 4 reviews

• grade C minus

• Students 494

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• Garden City, ID•

• Public School•

• K-5

• grade C minus

• Students 326

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• Boise, ID•

• Public School•

• K-8

• grade C minus

• Students 292

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Meridian, ID•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 2.67 out of 5  12 reviews

Sophomore: As a current student of GPM I enjoy this school. Many students start their own clubs (with staff permission and leadership) and sports are available to students through there home high school (as such with any other public charter/private schools). I am also a student council member, we put effort into planning events for the student body, such as dances. Students can revived 1:1 help from staff because of small class sizes and the academics are geared towards preparing us for college. If you are a parent looking for a college ready school, this is the place!... Read 12 reviews

• grade unavailable

• Students 574

• Student-teacher ratio 30:1

• Nampa School District, ID•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 2.83 out of 5  6 reviews

Parent: With all the uncertainty in the world, I was hesitant to send my first born to school. He wanted to do in-person learning so I looked into all our options from public to private to charter schools. Many of my friends kids attend the Gem Meridian campus and love it so we chose the Gem Nampa location. I’m so glad we did! All the staff genuinely care about all the kids. The school keeps you up to date with all your children’s needs via a free app that’s easy to download to your phone. Staying in touch with your kids teacher and the staff couldn’t be easier! Everyone at GPN is very responsive and absolutely wonderful! Volunteer whenever you want - there’s no secrets at this school. I feel very confident we made a great decision with GPN! Go owls!... Read 6 reviews

• grade unavailable

• Students 574

• Student-teacher ratio 30:1

• Middleton, ID•

• Public School•

• K-10

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

Works Here: Amazing community at Forge International, they provide such a unique and rigorous education experience!... Read 1 review

• grade unavailable

• Students 430

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Fruitland, ID•

• Public School•

• K-7

• grade unavailable

• Students 416

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Caldwell, ID•

• Public School•

• 6-11

• grade unavailable

• Students 413

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Meridian, ID•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  3 reviews

Works Here: What an amazingly supportive and friendly culture at Gem Prep Meridian North! I started out as a parent volunteer and loved the environment so much that I jumped at first chance to become a permanent part of the team. My children and I feel welcomed, supported and challenged to be our best by the entire staff.... Read 3 reviews

• grade unavailable

• Students 312

• Student-teacher ratio 24:1