BOISE, Idaho — Challis, the seat and largest city in Custer County, is home to about 1,000 people, two public schools and no private schools. If a Challis resident wanted to attend a private school, the closest option is in Sun Valley — 119 miles away.
Twenty of Idaho’s 44 counties didn’t have a private school as of December, according to data compiled by the Idaho State Department of Education and analyzed by the Idaho Statesman. Of the state’s 120 private schools, about three in four were in one of four counties: Ada, Canyon, Kootenai and Twin Falls.
A handful of Republican lawmakers this session pushed legislation that would have diverted public school funds to private and home-school families through education savings accounts, a private school voucher mechanism. “School choice” advocates argued Idaho parents should be able use their tax dollars at their preferred school, even if it’s private.
