diff --git a/quartile.go b/quartile.go
index 40bbf6e..7778a78 100644
--- a/quartile.go
+++ b/quartile.go
@@ -32,10 +32,22 @@ func Quartile(input Float64Data) (Quartiles, error) {
 		c2 = c1 + 1
 	}
 
-	// Find the Medians with the cutoff points
-	Q1, _ := Median(copy[:c1])
-	Q2, _ := Median(copy)
-	Q3, _ := Median(copy[c2:])
+	// Find the Medians with the cutoff points.
+	// For il < 3 the lower and upper halves are empty, so Median
+	// returns ErrEmptyInput; propagate it instead of silently
+	// returning NaN quartiles.
+	Q1, err := Median(copy[:c1])
+	if err != nil {
+		return Quartiles{}, err
+	}
+	Q2, err := Median(copy)
+	if err != nil {
+		return Quartiles{}, err
+	}
+	Q3, err := Median(copy[c2:])
+	if err != nil {
+		return Quartiles{}, err
+	}
 
 	return Quartiles{Q1, Q2, Q3}, nil
 
@@ -46,7 +58,10 @@ func InterQuartileRange(input Float64Data) (float64, error) {
 	if input.Len() == 0 {
 		return math.NaN(), EmptyInputErr
 	}
-	qs, _ := Quartile(input)
+	qs, err := Quartile(input)
+	if err != nil {
+		return math.NaN(), err
+	}
 	iqr := qs.Q3 - qs.Q1
 	return iqr, nil
 }
@@ -56,7 +71,10 @@ func Midhinge(input Float64Data) (float64, error) {
 	if input.Len() == 0 {
 		return math.NaN(), EmptyInputErr
 	}
-	qs, _ := Quartile(input)
+	qs, err := Quartile(input)
+	if err != nil {
+		return math.NaN(), err
+	}
 	mh := (qs.Q1 + qs.Q3) / 2
 	return mh, nil
 }
@@ -68,7 +86,10 @@ func Trimean(input Float64Data) (float64, error) {
 	}
 
 	c := sortedCopy(input)
-	q, _ := Quartile(c)
+	q, err := Quartile(c)
+	if err != nil {
+		return math.NaN(), err
+	}
 
 	return (q.Q1 + (q.Q2 * 2) + q.Q3) / 4, nil
 }
diff --git a/quartile_test.go b/quartile_test.go
index 93d524e..54f4913 100644
--- a/quartile_test.go
+++ b/quartile_test.go
@@ -41,6 +41,19 @@ func TestQuartile(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestQuartileSingleElement(t *testing.T) {
+	// A single element has no lower or upper half, so it cannot have
+	// quartiles. Quartile must return an error instead of silently
+	// producing NaN values with a nil error.
+	quartiles, err := stats.Quartile([]float64{1})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Errorf("Single element slice should have returned an error")
+	}
+	if quartiles != (stats.Quartiles{}) {
+		t.Errorf("Errored result should be the zero Quartiles value, got %+v", quartiles)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestInterQuartileRange(t *testing.T) {
 	s1 := []float64{102, 104, 105, 107, 108, 109, 110, 112, 115, 116, 118}
 	iqr, _ := stats.InterQuartileRange(s1)
@@ -53,6 +66,11 @@ func TestInterQuartileRange(t *testing.T) {
 	if err == nil {
 		t.Errorf("Empty slice should have returned an error")
 	}
+
+	_, err = stats.InterQuartileRange([]float64{1})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Errorf("Single element slice should have returned an error")
+	}
 }
 
 func TestMidhinge(t *testing.T) {
@@ -67,6 +85,11 @@ func TestMidhinge(t *testing.T) {
 	if err == nil {
 		t.Errorf("Empty slice should have returned an error")
 	}
+
+	_, err = stats.Midhinge([]float64{1})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Errorf("Single element slice should have returned an error")
+	}
 }
 
 func TestTrimean(t *testing.T) {
@@ -81,4 +104,9 @@ func TestTrimean(t *testing.T) {
 	if err == nil {
 		t.Errorf("Empty slice should have returned an error")
 	}
+
+	_, err = stats.Trimean([]float64{1})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Errorf("Single element slice should have returned an error")
+	}
 }