Original Research by School Decision on Lismore Colony Senior High School
Lismore Colony Senior High School is a regular public high school in Clinton, Minnesota, serving grades nine through twelve. It is part of the Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley school district. With a total enrollment of just a handful of students, the school is among the smallest high schools one might encounter. The grade distribution is atypical: most students are in ninth grade, a single student is in tenth grade, and there are no eleventh or twelfth graders reported at all. This structure suggests that the school may serve a specific population or that the senior grades are offered elsewhere, though the data does not provide an explanation.
The student body is composed entirely of white students, and information on economic disadvantage, special education services, and English learner status is not available. That absence is common for a school of this size, where reporting thresholds may not be met. Discipline and staffing data are also missing, so a parent would want to ask the district directly about class sizes, teacher qualifications, and student support services.
State assessment results, a four-year graduation rate, and chronic absenteeism data are not reported for this school. The comparison set for academic performance places Lismore Colony relative to other districts in Big Stone County, but no metrics are applicable here because the school’s data is absent. That means there is no way to gauge proficiency or outcomes from public records. The school type is listed as “regular school,” not a charter or magnet, but its minimal enrollment and the name “Colony” may hint at a connection to a Hutterite or other intentional community—though the payload offers no confirmation, and a reader should not assume.
The community of Clinton is a small rural agricultural town in western Minnesota, with a population that declined slightly between the 2010 and 2020 censuses. The town’s economy is built around farming, grain shipping, and a handful of local businesses. The civic anchors include Eli Lake, the Big Stone County Fairgrounds, a history museum in the former train station, and a veterans memorial building. There is no identified public library in Clinton itself. Highway 75 runs through town, providing a regional connection, but daily life is quiet and compact. The school district office and the elementary school are located in Clinton, but Lismore Colony Senior High School’s address is on County Road 60 outside the main town, suggesting a rural setting separate from the town center.
Housing values in the area are below the national and state benchmarks, though they have seen a noticeable increase recently. A typical home costs well under the median for Minnesota, and with mortgage rates near the national average, affordability is relatively favorable compared to more urban parts of the state. The local unemployment rate is moderate, and median household income trails the national figure, reflecting the agricultural character of the region.
For a parent considering Lismore Colony Senior High School, the most important takeaway is that this is a very small school with almost no publicly available performance data. Families would need to learn directly from the district about curriculum, course offerings, extracurriculars, and post-graduation pathways. The school may be a good fit for a student who thrives in an exceptionally small, tight-knit setting, but the lack of information means a careful conversation with school staff is essential before making any decision. The district itself has been searched for recent referenda or major changes, but no information was found, so it is unclear whether the district is stable or undergoing transitions.
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