The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in English language arts. The lowest is 28% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Tripp-delmont Jr. High - 02
Tripp-Delmont Jr. High - 02 sits in the small rural town of Tripp, in southeastern South Dakota's Hutchinson County, and serves just the seventh and eighth grades. It is part of the Tripp-Delmont School District 33-5, which draws children from both Tripp and the nearby community of Delmont. The school itself is housed within Tripp and was recently remodeled and expanded, a tangible investment in the facility despite the area's broader economic headwinds. This is a very small school by any measure, with only a couple of dozen students across its two grades. The junior-high grade band means there is no graduation rate to report and no state testing for grades outside the assessed range; the scores that exist come from the state's regular assessments in math, English language arts, and science.
On those state assessments, the school's results are mixed. English language arts and science proficiency land at a moderate level, with roughly two-fifths of tested students meeting or exceeding benchmarks in each. Math proficiency is lower, with fewer than a third of tested students reaching proficient status. Participation was full across all subjects. A parent considering this school may want to look into math support and intervention further with the school, particularly given how small the tested group is, which means a handful of students moving above or below proficiency can shift the picture considerably from year to year. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is hard to say whether these results represent a stable pattern or year-to-year fluctuation. Average scale scores were not reported.
The student body is nearly entirely white, with a small number of American Indian or Alaska Native students and no other racial or ethnic groups represented in the current count. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which reflects the economic profile of the surrounding community. Data on individualized education programs and English learner status was not available.
Tripp itself is a classic small Midwestern farming town surrounded by open agricultural land, positioned at the intersection of Highways 18 and 37. The built environment is low-density residential streets clustered around a small commercial core near the highway junction, with a grocery store, bank, lumber yard, gas stations, a restaurant, hair salons, an Avera Health Clinic, and three churches. Car ownership is high and the town is car-dependent, with minimal pedestrian street life. Civic and recreational anchors include Tripp Lake, used for fishing, swimming, and boating; a public pool; a wellness center; a library; and proximity to the Missouri River about a half-hour west for additional outdoor recreation. The surrounding area is known for pheasant, whitetail deer, and waterfowl hunting.
The town is experiencing long-term population decline, a pattern common to many small rural communities in the region. The nursing home closed some years back, a signal of service contraction, though employment grew modestly between recent years and the school renovation represents a countercurrent of investment. Housing values are well below national averages, and the town actively promotes its economical housing as an asset. No major new housing developments were identified in publicly reported sources. The largest local industries by employment are educational services, agriculture, and health care, with no single large private employer dominating the local economy.
We searched for recent district-level changes that would matter to families and found little of lasting impact reported, so there is nothing specific to relay on that front. Program offerings, course access, staffing ratios, discipline data, and attendance information were not available for this school in the provided data. A family evaluating this school should treat the academic results with the context of its very small size in mind and ask the district directly about supports, course offerings, and any enrichment or intervention programs available to junior-high students. The community offers rural quiet, affordability, and outdoor access, balanced against the realities of a shrinking population and the limited services that come with it.
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