The top reported proficiency rate is 68% in Social studies. The lowest is 40% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Jac-cen-del Ms/hs
Jac-Cen-Del MS/HS serves grades seven through twelve as a regular public school in Osgood, a small rural town in Ripley County, Indiana. The school is part of the Jac-Cen-Del Community School Corporation, which covers multiple communities in the area. Osgood itself is a historic railroad town with a modest downtown anchored by the renovated Damm Theatre and the Osgood Public Library, a Carnegie library. The town has a walking trail and is near Versailles State Park. Population growth has been very slow, with no major new housing developments identified in recent reporting.
The student body is small for a middle-high school combination and is almost entirely white, with very small numbers of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that points to a substantial low-income population within the school community. The school enrolls students across all secondary grades, with enrollment distributed fairly evenly through the grade levels, though the upper grades have somewhat larger class sizes than the middle school grades.
On the ILEARN state assessments administered in grades seven and eight, a share of Jac-Cen-Del students scored at the proficient or above level in both math and English language arts. The school’s combined proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint among districts in Ripley County, a comparison that includes four other districts. The most recent data available for social studies, from an earlier assessment, showed a higher proficiency rate, but that test is no longer given and the result is too old to reflect current performance reliably. A parent looking for recent middle school social studies results would need to check directly with the school, as a comparable current measure is not available in the state reporting used here.
No four-year graduation rate was reported in the data provided, so that key measure of high school completion is not available for this review. The school serves high school grades, so graduation rate data would typically be expected. A parent or resident may want to ask the school or the district directly for the most recent graduation rate. Similarly, no data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or course access was available, nor were IEP or English learner counts reported. The absence of these figures leaves gaps in understanding the school’s learning environment and support structures.
The community context shows housing values in the area that are slightly below the state average, with prices that have been rising at a faster pace than the state or national benchmarks in recent months. The national economic context includes a moderate unemployment rate and mortgage rates that have fluctuated in a narrow range.
For families considering this school, the picture is mixed. The school’s academic performance relative to other districts in Ripley County is on the stronger side, a positive signal for a family comparing options within the county. But the proficiency rates themselves show room for improvement, with a notable portion of students not reaching the proficient threshold in state tests. The school’s small size and largely homogeneous student body will feel familiar to many rural Indiana families, while families seeking more diversity or a wider array of course offerings may want to ask what programs are available beyond the core curriculum, as no program data was included in this review. The absence of a reported graduation rate is a significant unknown; a family considering this school for high school should prioritize getting that number from the district directly. The district itself reported no recent changes of lasting parent-relevant impact, suggesting a period of stability with no major restructuring or program overhauls on record.
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