The top reported proficiency rate is 25% in English language arts. The lowest is 13% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Colman-egan Jr. High - 02
Colman-Egan Junior High sits in a small, fully rural community along Highway 34 in Moody County, South Dakota. The town of Colman has a modest residential and commercial grid centered on Main Avenue, with civic life anchored by City Hall and a handful of local businesses. It is the kind of place where nearly every errand requires a car, and where nearby lakes like Brant Lake and Lake Madison provide the recreational draw for the broader region. The town has been actively promoting growth, offering residential and commercial lots for sale on its east side, and publicly reported estimates point to a rising median home value and steady population increase in recent years.
The school itself serves only seventh and eighth graders, and it is small even by rural South Dakota standards. The total enrollment fits comfortably into a couple of classrooms per grade. The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a small number of Hispanic students and one or two students identifying as Black or multiracial. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is quite low, well below what many rural schools report, which suggests a community where most families sit above the income eligibility threshold. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not reported, so those populations cannot be characterized from the available information.
On state assessments, the most recent results are low across all three tested subjects. Math proficiency sits well below what South Dakota schools typically post, with only a small handful of students reaching the proficient threshold. English language arts results are somewhat stronger but still modest, with about a quarter of tested students scoring proficient. Science, tested only at eighth grade with a much smaller group, landed in a similar range. Participation rates were high in every subject, so the results reflect nearly the full student body rather than a skewed subset.
That said, the testing pool here is very small. When only a few dozen students sit for an exam, the movement of one or two students across the proficiency line can shift the rate dramatically. A parent reading these numbers should keep that scale in mind. A school where four students test proficient in math and three in science is not the same picture as a large school posting an identical percentage. The data is what it is, but it is also thin, and a parent may want to ask the school directly how it is addressing these results and what support structures are in place for students who are not yet proficient.
Beyond test scores, the available data is sparse. No information was provided on course offerings, extracurriculars, staffing ratios, discipline, attendance, or Title I status. The district brief for Colman-Egan School District 50-5 turned up little of lasting impact from recent searches, with only routine enrollment and budget data surfacing and no referendums, curriculum changes, or property-tax shifts noted. This means the narrative here is necessarily limited to what the state assessment system and basic enrollment data can tell a family.
The housing market context is one piece a family might weigh. The typical home value in the Colman zip code, based on a Zillow-derived index, sits above the South Dakota state benchmark and has been climbing at a brisk pace year over year. Mortgage costs at current rates are substantial relative to the area, and the price-to-income ratio suggests that buying here requires a solid household income, though it remains below the national benchmark. Rental data was not available, so families looking to rent would need to look elsewhere for guidance. The town's openness to growth, with lots available and an active economic development page, suggests that Colman is a community trying to attract new residents, which could gradually change the character and potentially the school population over time.
For a family considering this school, the essential picture is a very small two-grade junior high in an agricultural, lakes-region town with a tight-knit, low-poverty, mostly white student body. The academic results on paper are weak, and that is worth taking seriously. But the scale of the school means those results rest on a handful of students, and the missing information on programs, staffing, and student support leaves a real gap. A parent would do well to visit, ask how the school is responding to its assessment data, and get a feel for whether the intimate setting and community orientation are the right fit for their child.
See more original research from School Decision →