Original Research by School Decision on Hardeman R-x
Hardeman R-X is a small rural district in Saline County serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The district operates a single elementary school, Hardeman Elementary. Because the district ends at eighth grade, there is no high school and therefore no graduation rate to report. State testing data for the most recent year was suppressed across all subjects and grade levels, a common outcome when the number of students tested in a given grade is very small. The district tested between a handful and a small number of students per grade in math, English language arts, and science, and the state withholds proficiency results when the group is that small. A parent looking for a clear picture of academic performance from state assessments will not find one here; the numbers are simply too few to report publicly.
The district is very small, with a total enrollment that places it among the smallest in the region. The student body is almost entirely white, with a very small Hispanic population. The district serves pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, and enrollment is spread fairly evenly across those grades, with a slight cluster in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. There is no high school, so families who remain in the district after eighth grade must arrange for high school elsewhere, likely in a neighboring district.
Chronic absenteeism, a measure of how many students miss a substantial number of school days, sits above the midpoint among Saline County's districts. That is a soft spot worth noting; a parent may want to ask the school what supports are in place for attendance. Per-pupil spending is in the middle range, upper half among the county's districts, which suggests the district is not starved for resources despite its small size.
The district draws from a rural area in Saline County, and the housing data reflects a mix of small towns. Home values vary noticeably across the zip codes that feed into the district, from more modest levels in some areas to higher values in others, and year-over-year appreciation has been uneven. The weighted average home value for the district area sits below the national benchmark but close to the state benchmark. The national unemployment rate and mortgage rate context are typical of the broader economy and do not point to any local anomaly.
The district's chronic absenteeism rate falls above the midpoint among Saline County's districts. That is a metric worth a parent's attention, especially in a small district where a handful of students can shift the rate noticeably. Per-pupil spending is in the middle range, upper half among the county's districts, which suggests the district allocates resources at a level comparable to or slightly above its neighbors.
The district has no high school, so there is no graduation rate to report. There is no data on free or reduced-price meal eligibility, special education identification, or English learner status, so a family cannot assess the share of students receiving economic or learning support from the data available here. The district's single school, Hardeman Elementary, serves all grades from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
A search for recent district changes turned up no parent-relevant developments that clear the lasting-impact bar. This is a very small, stable rural district with no recent bond issues, boundary changes, or program overhauls to report. The chronic absenteeism rate, while above the midpoint among Saline County's districts, is not far from the median, and in a district this size a small number of students can move the rate noticeably. Per-pupil spending is in the middle range, upper half among the county's districts, which is a reasonable resource position for a district of this scale.
For a family considering this area, the key takeaway is that Hardeman R-X is a very small, pre-K-through-eighth-grade rural district with no high school and no publicly reportable state test results. The student body is almost entirely white. Housing costs vary across the surrounding towns, with some areas more affordable than others. The district's chronic absenteeism rate is a point a parent may want to discuss with the school, though in a district this size the rate can shift with just a few students. Without data on free or reduced-price meal eligibility, special education identification, or English learner status, a family has an incomplete picture of the student support needs the district serves. The district appears stable, with no recent major changes publicly reported.
See more original research from School Decision →