Learning communities (LCs) represent a high impact practice in higher education with marked benefits for all stakeholders. In general education composition courses, learning communities can provide key support for students. This paper provides an example of a mixed-methods assessment design, and its consequent revision due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, investigating whether and how a composition learning community supports student learning and academic success. Comparing LC and non-LC courses, as well as online and in-person courses, the results of this study find significant increases in academic success for students in face-to-face (or in-person) LC courses, and no significant increases for students in online LC courses. Engaging in a robust assessment cycle provided the key evidence both for areas where our composition learning community is succeeding in its goals, as well as important areas for improvement, particularly in the current era of increasingly turning to online educational modes.