The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 37%.
Original Research by School Decision on Union Star High
Union Star High is a small, rural public school in northwest Missouri that serves grades six through twelve on a single campus shared with the district’s elementary school. It is the only secondary school in the Union Star R-II district, and its size shapes nearly every aspect of the experience a student or family can expect.
The school has a small total enrollment for a secondary school, with students spread thinly across seven grade levels. The senior class is among the smallest groups, which means that many courses, activities, and athletic teams draw from a limited pool of participants. The student body is predominantly white, with a small number of students identifying as Hispanic and a very small number identifying as two or more races. More than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker that the school serves a community with a meaningful share of families facing economic strain.
State testing data for Union Star High is largely suppressed, which is common when the number of students tested in a given grade and subject is very small. The state withholds proficiency rates in those cases to protect student privacy. For eighth-grade English language arts, the one subject and grade where a rate was reported, just over a third of students scored at or above the proficient level. Math proficiency rates were suppressed for all tested grades, and science data for eighth graders was also suppressed. When data is available, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to the other districts in DeKalb County, though the county is small, with only four districts, so this position reflects a narrow comparison set. A parent should recognize that the suppressed data makes it difficult to get a full picture of academic performance from state tests alone. In schools this small, classroom grades, teacher feedback, and the school’s own internal assessments may offer a clearer view of student progress than state numbers can provide.
The town of Union Star is a very small, entirely rural community with a declining population over the long term, though property values have risen recently. The community depends heavily on agriculture and health care employment, and many residents commute to work outside the town, likely to the St. Joseph area. The school campus sits on a state highway just outside the town’s small center, and the district appears to be one of the main civic institutions in the area. Walkability is very limited; car ownership is high, and nearly everyone drives. There are no recent parent-relevant changes reported for the district, such as bond issues, boundary shifts, or program overhauls.
Because the school combines middle and high school grades in one building, younger students attend alongside teenagers, which is common in small rural districts but worth noting for families comparing to a standalone middle school. The absence of a reported graduation rate likely reflects the small senior class size, where a single year’s figure may be suppressed or unavailable. For the same reason, data on chronic absenteeism and discipline was not available.
Union Star High fits a family looking for a very small, close-knit school environment where students are known individually and class sizes are small. It suits those who are comfortable with a rural setting where the school is a central part of the community and where the local economy and housing market are modest compared to state and national averages. A family accustomed to wide course offerings, diverse extracurriculars, or large peer groups will find a different reality here. The suppressed testing data is a practical outcome of the school’s size, not necessarily a signal of weak performance, but it does mean that a parent will want to dig deeper with the school directly to understand academic outcomes and curriculum.
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