Above Average Results

Across Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2), administrative staff encourage the relationships between educators, students and parents to ensure academic success.

The results of such a relationship are probably most evident at Encampment K-12 School, which is seeing success with both primary (elementary) and secondary (middle school and high school) students when looking at American College Test (ACT) and Wyoming Test of Proficiency and Progress (WYTOPP) scores.

Taking Third

In Wyoming, there are 93 high schools across the 48 school districts according to US News. The average ACT score for Wyoming from the 2023/2024 school year—according to recently released data—was 19.1. This average score put Wyoming at the top of the list for states which require the ACT test for students. According to the ACT website, approximately 1.4 million high school students took the test in the 2024 school year. In Wyoming, that number was 6,617.

In CCSD2, the average score was 20.5 according to information provided by Superintendent Darrin Jennings during the October 21 meeting of the CCSD2 Board of Trustees.

“We had a 22.1 average [score] which was able to get us third in the state of all high schools in Wyoming,” said Jake Johnston, principal of Encampment K-12 School. “The ACT is actually a K through 11 assessment. So, all the teachers from Kindergarten through the 11th grade have contributed to this score. I would say, what really helps in Encampment is we have outstanding teachers that work together, vertically, to ensure our students have success on this national test.”

A perfect score on the ACT is 36 and the national average is 19.4. Data from the ACT website shows that only 5.2% of students in Wyoming and 4.5% of students in the West scored a 22 on the test. According to Johnston, parents should be proud of the success their students saw on the test and the students should be proud of themselves.

“We’re really excited for the students. Obviously, this is a test that benefits their future. It’s a good confirmation that the programs we are using in the classroom are effective but we’re just really excited for the students to see the success,” said Johnston. “It’s a whole school effort to have a good ACT score. We do have some secondary teachers who have put in a lot of effort and I’d just like to thank them for that [effort].”

Above Average

It wasn’t just the ACT where Encampment K-12 School was above average in both the state and the district, but in WYTOPP testing as well. This assessment occurs from 3rd grade through 10th grade, testing students’ proficiency in Math, Science and Reading or English and Language Arts (ELA). In nearly every grade and every subject, Encampment students tested above the district and state average.

“For educational success to happen, we have to have a connection between [the] school and parents and the parents are very willing to work with us to ensure their students are succeeding. We do have a great staff and I think that shows,” said Johnston. “The school is the heartbeat and the center of the town, so having stakeholder buy-in is the key to success with things like this.”

When looking at the scores, it was the elementary students—third through sixth grade—who saw the most success. While the secondary students are tested on ELA, primary students are tested on reading.

“In our reading scores, we are above the state average in every single section. In third grade, we’re 80% proficient with 27% above the state average, in fourth grade we are 67% [and] 17% above the state average, in fifth grade we were 100% proficient with 46% above the state average. In sixth grade, we were 100% proficient with 41% above the state average,” said Johnston. “Every single section in our elementary did outstanding [in reading]. [I’m] very proud of the teachers, the students and the parents.”

Additionally, Encampment’s third grade class tested 35% above the district average while the fourth grade tested 19% above, the fifth grade tested 39% above and the sixth grade tested 19% above.

“On the ELA side of things, at the seventh grade level we were 57% proficient which was 2% above the state average. In eighth grade, we were 57% proficient where we met the state average, in the ninth grade we were 64% proficient and we were 13% above the state average and in 10th grade we were 50% proficient which was still above the state average,” said Johnston. “Our high school English teacher did very well and we’re just proud of her success and her ability to make connections with students and parents and to have results like this.”

In math, Encampment students saw mixed results in WYTOPP scores but with elementary students above either the district average, state average or both. Third grade students, for example, tested 50% proficient or advanced in math which was 21% above the district average.

“In the fourth grade we were 83% proficient which was 28% above the state average,” said Johnston. “[In] the fifth grade we were 80% proficient with 28% above the state average and in sixth grade we were 100% proficient and 47% above the state average.”

Fourth grade students, in math, tested 32% above the district average while fifth grade students tested nearly 36% above and sixth grade students tested 35% above. In science—which tests only the fourth, eighth, and 10th grades—Encampment also saw major success. Fourth grade students were 67% proficient which was nearly 18% above the district average and nearly 15% above the state average. Students in the 10th grade were also 67% proficient, which was 2.71% above the district average and 20% above the state average. Results were not available for students in the eighth grade due to the small class size.

Tailored Education

Johnston—who taught fifth grade at Encampment K-12 School for 11 years before becoming principal this year—said there is a definite benefit to smaller schools like Encampment.

“Small classes, I think, are a success story in these test scores. The teachers are able to get a lot of instruction and each student has their own individual program the teacher can tailor to that student,” said Johnston. “I think vertical alignment is a lot easier in a K-12 school because we can track students’ individual education programs from kindergarten all the way through high school.”

Vertical alignment, according to PowerSchool, is an educational curriculum which links lessons, skills and assessments. According to Johnston, a curriculum like this is ideal for a K-12 school.

“It’s easy to pass that information along, the interoperability is so nice just because we can have a document at the elementary level that can be passed to high school and we can track the student vertically over a long period of time,” said Johnston.

Education in the school is just one part of the success in test scores, said Johnston. It’s also important, he said, for parents to get involved in their childrens’ education and work together with administrative and academic staff.

“Make a connection with the school, talk to teachers and find out what they [parents] can do at home to progress their [children’s] education,” said Johnston. “I think communication and collaboration with the school would really continue to help. We already have that, but you can always improve communication.”