Original Research by School Decision on Alma High
Alma High sits in a small Mississippi River town that is also the county seat of Buffalo County. The town blends residential life with tourism and historic character, featuring an Alma Historic District, the Castlerock Museum, and the Great Alma Fishing Float. Two power generating stations add an industrial element to an otherwise rural, residential, and tourism-oriented community. The town is experiencing population decline, though property values have risen modestly. The median resident age is high, and the overall employment base is small, consistent with a town of this size.
Alma High is a regular public school serving grades nine through twelve. It is part of the Alma School District. The school is small, with an enrollment that reflects the size of the community it serves. The student body is predominantly white, with a small share of Hispanic students and a very small number of students identifying as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a meaningful portion of families face economic challenges.
State testing data was not available for this school, so there is no direct measure of academic proficiency in reading, math, or other subjects. Similarly, a four-year graduation rate was not reported in the data we reviewed. A parent may want to look into this further with the school or district to understand how students are performing on state assessments and what the graduation rate looks like. The absence of these metrics is not unusual for a small high school, but it does mean that a family cannot rely on those common benchmarks to evaluate academic outcomes here.
The school is small, with an enrollment that is modest for a high school serving grades nine through twelve. The student body is almost entirely white, with a very small number of Hispanic students and a single student identifying as two or more races. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and its Title I status was not reported.
The Alma School District did not have any recent major changes or initiatives publicly reported that would be of lasting impact for families. The district appears stable in its operations, with no significant restructuring, boundary changes, or program launches noted in available sources.
Housing in the area is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks. Home values have risen in recent years, but the cost of a typical home remains below the state median. Rents were not available for the immediate area. The national median household income provides context for affordability, but local income data was not directly provided for the school's attendance zone.
For a family considering Alma High, the picture is one of a very small high school in a rural river town that is experiencing population decline. The school serves a predominantly white student body, and a notable share of families qualify for income-based meal assistance. Without state testing results or a graduation rate in the available data, a parent cannot easily compare academic performance to other schools using those common measures. The school is part of a small district that appears stable, with no major recent changes reported. The community itself is quiet, historic, and oriented toward the Mississippi River and outdoor recreation, with a modest local economy anchored by power generation and county government. This setting would likely appeal to families seeking a small, rural high school in a close-knit community, but those looking for detailed academic performance data will need to seek it directly from the school.
See more original research from School Decision →