The top reported proficiency rate is 69% in English language arts. The lowest is 58% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Sundance Secondary School
Sundance Secondary School serves grades seven through twelve in the town of Sundance, Wyoming, the county seat of Crook County. It is part of Crook County School District #1 and operates as a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet. The enrollment is small for a secondary school spanning six grade levels, which means students learn in an intimate setting where class sizes are naturally compact.
The student body is predominantly white, with only a small handful of students from other racial or ethnic backgrounds. Just under a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a relatively modest share that reflects the economic profile of the surrounding community. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not reported, so those populations cannot be characterized here.
On Wyoming's state assessments, Sundance Secondary shows genuinely strong results in English language arts. Seventh-grade ELA proficiency was reported in a very high range, with nearly all tested students meeting or exceeding the state bar. Eighth-grade ELA proficiency was solidly above halfway. Math performance was also respectable across both tested grades, with a clear majority of students reaching proficiency. Science results for eighth grade were somewhat lower, with a smaller majority proficient. Participation was full across every tested subject and grade. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, stability, or decline over time. The school serves high school grades, but no graduation rate was provided in the available data. A parent looking at postsecondary readiness may want to ask the school directly about graduation and what happens to students after they leave.
Sundance itself is a small rural town along Interstate 90, about a half-hour west of Spearfish, South Dakota, and directly south of the Bear Lodge Mountains in the Black Hills. Publicly reported descriptions note that it functions as a civic hub for Crook County, with the courthouse, sheriff's office, City Hall, and a public library branch concentrated in or near the downtown core along Cleveland Street. Devils Tower National Monument sits a short drive to the north and draws steady visitor traffic through the area. The town's growth trajectory appears flat or slowly declining, typical of small county seats in northeastern Wyoming. No major new housing developments or commercial projects were surfaced in the available research. Major employers were not documented in search results, but county government and the school district itself are likely among the largest local employers given Sundance's role as a county seat.
The housing market in the Sundance ZIP code sits modestly above both the Wyoming state benchmark and the national benchmark for typical home values, and the price-to-income ratio is near five, suggesting that buying a home here requires a solid income relative to many rural areas. Rental data was not available. For families considering a move, the housing market is not inexpensive for a small town, but it is also not appreciating rapidly.
The neighbor comparison set for this school relative to districts in Crook County could not be computed because the county contains only a single district, leaving no peer group for comparison. This means the proficiency and outcome figures should be read on their own terms rather than against local peers. No data on course access, staffing, discipline, attendance, or chronic absenteeism was provided, and no program offerings were listed. The district brief search found no recent parent-relevant changes with lasting impact.
What the available picture does show is a small, homogeneous secondary school in a quiet rural county-seat town, producing above-average state test results particularly in English language arts, with full participation and a modestly affluent student body by rural Wyoming standards. Families seeking a close-knit school environment in a scenic corner of the state with access to outdoor recreation may find this a fitting option. Those wanting detail on graduation outcomes, advanced coursework, special education services, or extracurricular programs will need to go directly to the school, as those pieces were not available in the data reviewed.
See more original research from School Decision →