The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in Math. The lowest is 31% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Greeley County Jr./sr. High
Greeley County Jr./Sr. High is the sole secondary school in a small, rural western Kansas community, serving students in grades six through twelve from the town of Tribune and the surrounding Greeley County area. The school is part of the Greeley County Schools district, and as the only district in the county, there are no neighboring districts available for comparison on the academic measures we examined. The entire grade span, from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, is housed on a single campus in connected buildings within Tribune, with the high school section occupying a two-story building that also contains the district’s auditorium and library. This arrangement means that middle and high school students share a common campus and facilities.
Tribune itself is a small, rural county seat that has experienced long-term population decline, a pattern common to many western Kansas towns. The community operates under a consolidated city-county government. Housing values in the area are well below the state and national benchmarks, having seen a recent notable decrease, making home purchases relatively affordable by broader standards. The district recently completed a major renovation of the elementary wing, a significant capital investment that voters approved.
The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic population. A significant share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Because the school serves only grades six through twelve, no graduation rate is available for this particular school year in the data we have; the school itself does serve seniors, but the relevant metric was not reported. The high school does not appear to provide advanced placement, International Baccalaureate, or career and technical education programs, at least not in any data we could access. That absence, if real, would mean students seeking a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum or specialized vocational training would likely need to look elsewhere, or the school may offer such courses without them being reported in standard categories. A parent should confirm with the school what advanced coursework or dual-credit options exist.
State assessment results for 2024-25 show a mixed picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates were below the state average at most tested grade levels, with sixth and eighth grade scoring lower than seventh grade. In mathematics, results varied more: seventh grade math was notably low, while sixth and eighth grade math showed higher, though still modest, proficiency rates. Eighth grade science results came in between the low math and English figures. Because one of the state assessments used this year had its proficiency cut scores changed, direct comparisons to prior years are not reliable. The small size of the school means that even minor academic fluctuations can shift percentages considerably, a factor for parents to keep in mind when evaluating single-year results.
No chronic absenteeism data, discipline data, or staffing metrics were available in the information we have. The school’s setting is remote and rural, and no data on school safety from student or parent surveys was provided. For families, the core context of this school is that of a small, tightly-knit school in a depopulating rural community, with academic proficiency that falls generally below state averages, particularly in seventh grade math and some middle school English language arts grades. Parents considering this school should reach out directly to discuss the academic program, student supports, and the range of high school course offerings to assess whether it fits their student’s needs.
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