Tri County Jr-sr High School, Dewitt NE

Original Research by School Decision on Tri County Jr-sr High School

Tri County Jr-Sr High School is a regular public school serving grades seven through twelve, located on a consolidated campus a short distance from the village of DeWitt in southeastern Nebraska. The school is part of the Tri County Public Schools district, a consolidation formed from districts across Saline, Gage, and Jefferson counties. The student body is small, with enrollment distributed fairly evenly across the middle and high school grades. The population is overwhelmingly white, with very small shares of Hispanic, Asian, Black, and multiracial students. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a modest-to-low-income range for the area.

State assessment results for the most recent testing year show very low proficiency rates in the grades tested. In seventh-grade math, half of students met the proficiency bar, while in eighth-grade math, no students did. In English language arts, zero students in both seventh and eighth grade scored proficient. Science results for eighth grade also showed no students reaching proficiency. These scores place the school’s overall proficiency index in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Jefferson County, and a parent considering this school should be aware that academic attainment on state tests is a significant concern. Multi-year trend data is limited, with only a single year of testing data available in this profile, so it is not possible to determine whether performance is improving or declining over time.

The school environment and support structures are not captured in the available data. No information was provided on discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, or course access. Likewise, no program offerings such as Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, career and technical education, or extracurriculars are listed. A parent would need to contact the school directly to understand what pathways are available for high school students, including graduation requirements and postsecondary preparation.

The community context is that of a very small rural village. DeWitt itself has lost some population in recent decades and experienced a major economic blow when the Vise-Grip plant closed, though production resumed on a smaller scale under a new owner. The broader area is agricultural, and the consolidated school serves as a hub for students from multiple counties. Housing in the area is relatively affordable compared to national benchmarks, and the local unemployment rate has been stable around the national average.

No recent changes to district policy, programming, or leadership were found in publicly reported sources, so it is not clear whether there are current initiatives to address the academic results or expand opportunities.

In sum, Tri County Jr-Sr High School offers a small, rural, consolidated setting with a largely homogeneous student body. The state test results are very weak, particularly in eighth grade and in English language arts. Families may want to investigate what high school outcomes look like, such as graduation rates and college or career placement, as those data were not available. Without information on programming or student support, a visit and conversation with the school are essential for any parent trying to gauge whether the environment and academic trajectory fit their child’s needs.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 38 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

260 schools plotted. 8 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 750%

School 50% · District 81% · ▼ 31 pts below district

▲ 50 pts above state median

Grade 80%

School 0% · district not reported

even with state median

English language arts

Grade 70%

School 0% · District 78% · ▼ 78 pts below district

even with state median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 65% · ▼ 65 pts below district

even with state median

Science

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 82% · ▼ 82 pts below district

even with state median

This schoolTRI COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.