The top reported proficiency rate is 33% in English language arts. The lowest is 29% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Holton Middle
Holton Middle is a public school serving grades six through eight in the Holton school district, the county seat of Jackson County. The town itself is a small Midwestern agricultural hub with a traditional courthouse square, a community hospital, and a mix of county government and local retail. The population has experienced a slight decline in recent years, and no major new housing developments were identified in publicly available materials. The school is physically separate from the downtown core, located on a site that once hosted a college.
The middle school enrolls a modest number of students across three grades. The student body is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic population and a noteworthy share of students who identify with two or more races. A substantial proportion of students come from low-income households, as measured by eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available for this school.
On the state’s annual assessments, Holton Middle’s results are a clear area of concern. In both math and English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above in each grade falls well below typical levels. Science results for the tested grade are similarly low. When measured against other schools in its own county, Holton Middle’s overall proficiency index lands in the bottom quartile relative to the other districts in Jackson County. The state’s assessment cut scores changed recently, which complicates direct comparisons to prior years, but the current picture is unambiguous: academic achievement is weak across subjects and grades. A parent considering this school would want to understand how the school supports students who are not yet at grade level and what progress looks like over time.
Because Holton Middle is a middle school only, no high school graduation rate applies, and no chronic absenteeism data were reported. Information on discipline, staffing, and course access was also absent from the data set, so the reader cannot assess those dimensions from this profile.
The housing market in Holton is relatively affordable compared with the nation as a whole. Typical home values are near the Kansas state average, and the area has seen modest appreciation. The broader economic context shows a national mortgage rate in the mid-single digits and a moderate unemployment rate, but the local housing market remains accessible for many families.
The district itself did not appear to have any major recent changes or strategic initiatives flagged in publicly available research. That may reflect a period of stability or simply a lack of available public information.
In sum, Holton Middle offers a traditional public school experience in a small, walkable county-seat town with an affordable housing market. The academic results are the most notable feature here: performance on state assessments is low, and the school ranks at the bottom of its county on this measure. For a family moving to the area, the academic environment is the variable most worth investigating further, especially how the school identifies and addresses gaps in math, reading, and science.
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