The top reported proficiency rate is 78% in Math. The lowest is 18% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Holland Elementary School
Holland Elementary School serves prekindergarten through fifth grade in the small town of Holland, in Dubois County. It is a regular public school within the Southwest Dubois County School Corporation. The school building sits on Meridian Street in the town itself, not on a separated campus, and it functions as one of the town’s key civic anchors alongside a community park, a medical and dental clinic, and a volunteer fire department.
The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller share of Hispanic students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school’s enrollment is small for a K-5 building, and it draws from a rural town where the population has been gradually declining, though employment and property values have risen in recent years. Many residents commute to work in the larger nearby communities of Huntingburg, Jasper, and Ferdinand.
On state assessments, Holland Elementary shows a split performance. Math proficiency is well above the midpoint among districts in Dubois County, and science proficiency also looks strong. In English language arts, however, the proficiency rate sits much lower, at a level that a parent may want to look into further with the school. Social studies results, which are tested only at one grade level, are the weakest subject area. No state testing data was available for social studies in other grades because it is only administered in fifth grade. Overall, the school’s combined proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint among the county’s districts.
The school offers a full prekindergarten program, which can be a meaningful entry point for families in a rural area that does not have a wide range of early childhood options. Because Hollands Elementary serves only elementary grades, there is no high school graduation rate to report. Students in this district move on to Southridge High School in Huntingburg for grades nine through twelve.
We looked for district-level changes or strategic initiatives that might be relevant to families, but found little of lasting impact to report. The district brief for Southwest Dubois County School Corporation did not surface recent shifts in programming, boundaries, or school leadership. Families should expect stability in the schools’ basic structure.
The housing market in the area is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks, with home values that have been rising. The community is car-dependent, with most residents driving alone to work. There is no public transit in Holland. For a family looking at this school, the key takeaway is an elementary building where math achievement is a clear strength, where literacy results are softer, and where the town itself offers a small, rural setting with a declining population but a stable local economy. The peer group at this school is small and the community is tight-knit, which may appeal to families who want their young children in a school that is physically part of the town rather than on a remote campus. Parents who value strong math instruction will find evidence for it here; parents concerned about reading and writing outcomes will want to ask the school about its approach to ELA instruction and any interventions in place.
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