West Ada School District


The West Ada School District #2, long known as the Meridian School District, is a school district based in Meridian, Idaho. In addition to Meridian, the district operates public schools in Eagle, Star and western Boise. It is the largest school district in Idaho. In 2025, the district received widespread attention for banning "Everyone is welcome here" posters that depicted children's hands in all skin colors.
In June 2014, the district board of trustees voted to change the common name of the district, previously known as the Meridian School District, to West Ada School District. The official name, Joint School District No. 2, remains unchanged.

District information

The West Ada School District educates more than 35,000 students in 49 schools over an area of. The district has grown by more than 5,000 students in the last five years. West Ada School District schools range in enrollment from 100 to over 2,000 students. School buildings vary in age with the oldest being more than 50 years old.
In Ada County the district includes:
The district extends into Canyon County, where it includes portions of Nampa and Star. West Ada School District announced its plans to move forward with building a second elementary school in Star.

Governance

The district is administered by a five-member Board of Trustees elected by voters residing within the district's boundaries. Each of the five trustees represent specific geographic zones in the district. They receive no salaries or benefits and are elected to a four-year term.
ZoneTrustee
1Lori Frasure
2Lucas Baclayon
3Angie Redford
4David Binetti
5Rene Ozuna

History

Timeline
  • 1945 - School districts reorganized to reduce 1,082 school districts in Idaho to 301 districts.
  • 1950 - District named "Class A School District No. 2."
  • 1963 - The District’s name was officially changed to its current name, "Joint School District No. 2."
  • 2005 - Total enrollment for the district reached over 30,000.
  • 2007 - The district moved into its new offices, consolidating seven different office locations.
  • 2014 - Colloquial name changed from "Meridian School District" to "West Ada School District."

"Everyone is welcome here" controversy

In March 2025, West Ada School District forcefully removed a poster from a classroom at Lewis and Clark Middle School for violating district policies "because in today's political environment they're considered a personal opinion." The poster had hung for several years and read "Everyone is welcome here" and had depictions of children's hands of all skin colors. District administrators cited internal policy and Idaho's Dignity and Nondiscrimination in Public Education Act as justification for the removal, and later stated that if the poster had just contained the text, it would likely have been acceptable.
In May 2025, the teacher involved in the sign incident resigned from West Ada School District.

Superintendents

SuperintendentsYears
L.A. Thomas1950–1953
Roy G. Denton1953–1963
J. Lowell Scott1964–1973
August M. Hein1973–1985
Nick Hallett1985–1992
Bob L. Haley1992–1998
Christine H. Donnell1998–2004
Linda Clark2004–2015
Mary Ann Ranells2016–2021
Derek Bub2021–Present

High schools

There are currently seven high schools and six alternative schools in the district, five of which are classified 5A by the Idaho High School Activities Association.

Boise

Meridian

Eagle

Middle schools

There are currently 7 middle schools & 2 alternatives in the district.

Star

  • Star Middle School

Meridian

Boise

Eagle

  • Eagle Middle School

Alternatives (Meridian)

Elementary schools

There are currently 32 elementary schools in the district.

Eagle

Star

  • Star Elementary
*Galileo STEM Academy is both a middle school and an elementary school