South Central Calhoun Middle School

South Central Calhoun Middle School is a public middle school located in Rockwell City, Iowa, serving grades 4-8 with a total enrollment of 327 students. The school is part of the South Central Calhoun Community School District, which is ranked 242 out of 313 school districts in Iowa and has a 1-star rating out of 5 from SchoolDigger.

The school faces several key challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 18.0% to 23.4% over the past few years, which are notably higher than the state average. Additionally, the school's performance on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) varies across grade levels and subject areas, but generally lags behind the state averages. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics were below the state averages for most grade levels. The school also has a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 41.75% to 46.48% over the past few years, suggesting a relatively high proportion of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

The school's statewide ranking has fluctuated over the years but has generally trended downward, from a high of 110 out of 327 Iowa middle schools in 2016-2017 to a low of 260 out of 337 in 2023-2024. This suggests the school may be struggling to keep pace with other middle schools in the state. Additionally, the rising student-teacher ratio, from 12.3 in 2021-2022 to 14.4 in 2023-2024, could potentially impact the quality of instruction and the ability of teachers to provide individualized attention to students, which may contribute to the school's academic performance challenges.