The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 29%.
Original Research by School Decision on South Holt Co. R-i
South Holt County R-I is a small, rural public school district in northwest Missouri serving students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district operates two schools: South Holt Elementary and South Holt High. With a total enrollment that is small for a K-12 district, the student body is overwhelmingly white, and the numbers of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds are very small. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch was not available, so a parent would need to ask the district directly about the level of economic need among families.
The district sits in Holt County, a rural area in the northwest corner of the state. The comparison set available is among Holt County's districts, but with only two districts in the county, the comparisons are limited. On chronic absenteeism, South Holt County R-I reports a rate that places it in the top quartile among the county's districts, meaning a relatively low share of students are missing substantial school. Per-pupil current spending falls in the lower range when set against the other district in the county.
State assessment data for the 2024-25 school year is mostly suppressed, which is common when the number of students tested in a given grade and subject is very small. The district tested small groups of students in each grade from third through eighth. For the few results that were reported, the picture is mixed. In fifth-grade English language arts, about two out of every five students scored at the proficient level or above. In eighth-grade English language arts, the share was lower, with fewer than one in five students reaching that threshold. All math results across grades three through eight were suppressed, as were all science results for grades five and eight. A parent may want to ask the district directly for a fuller picture of academic performance, since the small testing groups mean that much of the data cannot be publicly reported.
The district operates two schools: South Holt Elementary and South Holt High. The elementary school serves the lower grades, and the high school serves the upper grades. The district covers the full K-12 span within a single building configuration.
On the civil rights and outcomes side, data on discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance was not available in the provided information. The chronic absenteeism rate, however, was reported and is low relative to the other district in Holt County, placing in the top quartile. That suggests most students are attending school regularly.
Per-pupil current spending falls in the lower range when compared with the other district in the county. A parent may want to ask what that spending level supports in terms of programs, class sizes, and extracurricular offerings.
The district brief notes that a search for recent district changes found little of lasting impact to report. No major bond issues, leadership turnover, or program launches were identified in publicly available sources. The district appears to be operating in a steady state.
For a family considering this area, the district offers a very small, rural setting with a predominantly white student body. The academic data is thin due to the small testing populations, so a parent would need to engage directly with the school to understand student performance trends. The low chronic absenteeism rate is a positive sign for student engagement. The per-pupil spending level is on the lower side compared to the other district in the county, which may be relevant for families weighing resource availability.
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