The top reported proficiency rate is 71% in Math. The lowest is 62% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Durant Junior/senior High School
Durant Junior/Senior High School serves students from seventh through twelfth grade in a single building that is part of the Durant Community School District, a small public school system based in Durant, Iowa. Durant itself is a compact, primarily residential town that spreads across three counties in eastern Iowa, with a modest population and a largely commuter-oriented economy. Many residents drive to work in nearby cities such as Davenport, Muscatine, or Iowa City, giving the town a quiet, small-town feel. The district’s schools are located on a single campus separate from the town’s commercial center, and the district has not made recent high-profile changes such as large bond referendums or curriculum overhauls that were publicly reported.
The student body at Durant Junior/Senior High is small for a combined middle and high school. Enrollment is predominantly white, with a much smaller share of students who identify as Hispanic or as two or more races. Just over a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that positions the school as serving a lower share of low-income students compared to many public schools statewide. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available in the source materials.
State testing results are available for math, English language arts, and science for the tested grade span. In math, a majority of students scored at or above the proficiency standard, and the school saw full participation in the assessment. In English language arts, the proficiency rate was somewhat lower than in math, though still well above half of students tested. In science, the rate fell between the two. When compared with other districts in Cedar County, the school lands in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. This comparison is based on a proficiency index that averages the rates across subjects; while the school’s results show that most students are meeting state standards, they lag behind the top-performing districts in the county.
Because Durant Junior/Senior High does not serve grades that produce the state’s four-year graduation rate metric, that data point is not applicable here. Similarly, chronic absenteeism data was not reported, so a parent who wants to understand student attendance patterns would need to ask the school directly. No civil rights data regarding discipline was available in the source materials.
The school offers no specialized programs such as a magnet or charter designation, and no program offerings data was included in the source materials. A parent looking for specific course pathways, Advanced Placement options, or career and technical education offerings should consult the school’s website or contact the administration directly to learn what is available.
Housing in Durant has seen value appreciation in recent years, with home values that are roughly in line with the Iowa statewide benchmark and modestly below the national average. The typical home in the area is affordable relative to the national median price-to-income ratio. Rents also fall below the cost of a monthly mortgage payment, which makes renting a more accessible option than buying for the time being. The town’s modest population growth and stable homeownership rate suggest a gradual, not explosive, development pattern. The local unemployment rate is near the national average, and median household income in the broader economic context is above the national figure.
For a family weighing this school, the picture is one of a small, combined junior and senior high school in a quiet, residential town where most students perform at or above state standards, though the district trails some neighboring systems in Cedar County. The student body is relatively homogeneous and not especially affluent, but also not high-poverty by state norms. The absence of reported program data and the limited public information on recent district changes mean a family would benefit from direct inquiry about course offerings, supports for students with disabilities, and the school’s approach to attendance and discipline.
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