The top reported proficiency rate is 74% in Math. The lowest is 71% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Mcclave Undivided High School
McClave Undivided High School sits inside a compact, unincorporated agricultural community in Bent County, Colorado, roughly an hour east of Pueblo. The school serves grades seven through twelve and is the sole secondary school in the McClave School District. With a total enrollment of just over one hundred students, it is small by any measure, and that scale defines the student experience. Classes are small, most teachers know every student, and the school functions as the academic and social hub of a town where the K-12 campus, a general store, a bank, a post office, a church, and a park are all within walking distance of one another. This is not a place where a student gets lost in the crowd.
The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial share of Hispanic students and only a handful of students from other racial backgrounds. Just under half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that mirrors the economic realities of a rural Plains community where the largest local employers are the school district itself, a small bank, and two hay mills. Many residents likely commute to nearby towns for work. The housing market reflects the area’s isolation: home values in the zip code are well below the state and national medians, and values have recently declined, which may signal a contracting local economy rather than the influx and upward pressure seen in Colorado's fast-growing Front Range towns.
Academically, the school’s state test results stand out. On the Colorado Measures of Academic Success assessments for the grades and subjects tested, the school’s proficiency rates in both math and English language arts were well above the midpoint among the handful of school districts in Bent County. In fact, the school placed at the top end of that small county cohort. This is a significant strength, particularly for a small rural school serving a population where many families face economic headwinds. Science results for eighth grade were suppressed and cannot be reported, so no judgment can be made there. A parent wanting the full picture on science instruction should ask the school directly.
Because the school covers grades seven through twelve, there is no graduation rate in the provided data, nor any data on chronic absenteeism. Those are meaningful gaps for a parent evaluating the school’s ability to keep students on track through high school. A school this small may suppress such data for privacy reasons, but the absence means a prospective family should inquire about on-time graduation, dropout patterns, and attendance directly.
The data also contains no information on advanced coursework, career and technical education pathways, dual enrollment, or extracurricular offerings. A small school in a rural district may offer a limited menu of AP or concurrent enrollment options, or it may participate in cooperative arrangements with nearby districts or online providers. Without that data, the best a parent can do is ask the administration what advanced pathways exist.
The district itself has experienced no major recent changes that were publicly reported. McClave School District No. Re-2 appears stable and uneventful in its operations. The community of McClave is not growing. Population estimates are contradictory across sources, but they all point toward a settlement that is small and either static or slowly shrinking. No new housing developments or growth initiatives were found in web searches. This is a place that looks much the same as it did a generation ago.
McClave Undivided High School fits a family that values a close-knit, rural environment where academic performance has been strong relative to the surrounding county. It is not a fit for a family seeking a wide array of course options, a diverse peer body, or a growing community with new housing and services. It is a school where the numbers are small enough that a parent can know every teacher by name, and where the test results suggest the teaching staff is getting solid results from the students they serve. The gaps in the record on postsecondary readiness and graduation outcomes are the main reason a parent should dig deeper before enrolling.
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