The top reported proficiency rate is 59% in Math. The lowest is 20% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Hurley Elem.
Hurley Elementary is the PK through grade six school within the Hurley R-I district, and it serves a community that is as small and rural as they come. The school shares a campus on Holt Spring Road with the district’s upper grades, sitting outside the modest crossroads that forms the town of Hurley itself. For a family considering this school, the central question is not about a menu of choices, but about the character of a very small, close-knit rural setting.
The school is a regular public school with a predominantly white student body, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is small for a PK-06 school, and it draws from a town that is itself tiny and fully rural, with minimal commercial infrastructure. There is no magnet or charter status, and no data was available on Title I status, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism. A parent should expect a setting where the school likely functions as the primary civic anchor in the community.
State testing data for Hurley Elementary is reported for the 2024-25 school year, but the results are heavily suppressed at most grade levels, which makes drawing a full picture of academic performance difficult. For the grade levels where results are reported, the data is mixed. In mathematics, sixth grade students showed a proficiency rate that was notably above the midpoint for the county's districts, and the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to other districts in Stone County. However, in English language arts, the fourth grade proficiency rate was low, and results for most other ELA grades were suppressed, so a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand the pattern. Science results for fifth grade were also suppressed. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether this is an improving or declining trajectory.
Because the school only goes through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to consider. For high school outcomes, a family would need to look to Hurley High School, which shares the same address and district. The district brief turned up no recent major changes, such as a bond referendum or curriculum overhaul, that would alter the academic picture significantly.
For a family, the housing context is relevant. Hurley has seen very modest population growth over the last two decades. Housing values and rents have increased but from a low base, reflecting the area’s rural character. There is no walkable downtown, no significant retail, and no information on major employers within the town itself; residents likely commute to Crane, Branson, or other nearby towns for work. The school’s peer environment is one of very small class sizes and a community where everyone likely knows everyone.
The key takeaway is that Hurley Elementary is a small, rural school in a stable but slow-growth area. The available proficiency data shows a relative strength in math for sixth grade, but the limited and suppressed ELA results mean that a parent should seek direct information from the school about reading and writing instruction. The school fits a family that wants a small, rural environment and is comfortable with the trade-offs that come with it, including fewer academic program offerings and a very limited local economy.
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