The top reported proficiency rate is 15% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Bethune School District No. R- 5
Bethune School District No. R-5 serves a very small, rural population of students from preschool through twelfth grade, all in a single school building in Kit Carson County on Colorado’s eastern plains. The district’s one school, Bethune Public Schools, means every student in the district attends the same campus from kindergarten through senior year. This is the kind of setting where a child is known by name, where families and teachers interact daily, and where the peer group is small and stable across all thirteen years of schooling.
The district enrolls a student body where the two largest groups are roughly comparable in size, with a slight majority identifying as white and a substantial share identifying as Hispanic. A small number of students identify as two or more races, and the district reports a single Black student. Data on economic disadvantage, such as the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, was not available. Neither were counts or rates for special education or English learner services, so a parent would want to ask the district directly about its supports for these populations.
On state assessments for grades three through eight, proficiency rates in both math and English language arts were low relative to state norms. On the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, roughly one in eight students scored proficient or above in math, and about one in seven did so in reading and writing. Science results for grades five and eight were suppressed, likely because the number of students tested was too small to report publicly, a common situation in very small schools. The comparison among Kit Carson County’s four school districts places Bethune’s overall proficiency level in the bottom quartile. A parent considering the district will want to explore what academic support and intervention programs are in place.
Chronic absenteeism, defined as missing a certain share of school days regardless of reason, is high here. The district’s rate lands at the bottom quartile among the county’s districts, meaning it has the highest reported chronic absenteeism in the comparison set. This can reflect a mix of factors in a rural community, including long bus rides, health needs, and family circumstances, but it is a metric worth discussing with school leadership to understand local causes and what is being done to improve attendance.
The district’s graduation rate data was not reported, so it is unclear whether all seniors complete on time. Because the high school grades are small, very small fluctuations in student circumstances can affect whether a student finishes, and the district may not have had enough graduates to meet the state’s reporting threshold. A family with a high schooler should ask directly about graduation pathways and credit recovery options.
On the positive side, the district’s state accreditation status improved in recent years. After receiving an “Insufficient State Data” rating, which commonly applies to very small districts where limited testing data prevents a full evaluation, Bethune was rated “Accredited” for the 2024 and 2025 school years. That is the highest rating a Colorado district can receive, and it signals that state reviewers found the district meeting its performance expectations given available data. This is a meaningful shift.
Per-pupil spending in Bethune is in the upper range when measured against the other Kit Carson County districts. That is a practical detail; a small rural district with a single building has high fixed costs spread over a small enrollment, so the spending number reflects the reality of running a standalone school more than a particular programmatic abundance. What that spending translates into for classroom resources and staffing is something a parent would want to observe firsthand.
Housing in the area is far more affordable than the state or national average. Home values in the two primary ZIP codes serving the district are modest, and the weighted district-level estimate is substantially below the Colorado median, though values have risen in recent years. This fits the broader pattern of eastern Colorado, where rural communities offer lower entry costs for homebuyers than the Front Range.
Because the district is a single school serving all grades, there are no school choice options within the district. A family that wants a different academic setting would need to consider open enrollment in a neighboring district, which in this part of the state means a long commute. The character of Bethune is shaped by its small scale, its rural isolation, and the intimacy of a K-12 building. It is the kind of place that works well for a family that values a close-knit school community and is comfortable engaging directly with the staff on any questions about academics and attendance.
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