The top reported proficiency rate is 35% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Laurel-concord-coleridge Elementary School
Laurel-Concord-Coleridge Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through fourth grade in Laurel, Nebraska, a small farming community in the southeast corner of Cedar County. The school is a regular public school and part of the Laurel-Concord-Coleridge School District. The enrollment is under 200 students. The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races. About four in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure of household economic need that falls near the middle relative to other area schools.
The elementary school building is located in downtown Laurel. The district operates a three-campus structure. The elementary and high school are both in Laurel, while the middle school, serving grades five through eight, is in Coleridge, roughly six miles away. The school district passed a bond by a single vote in 2021, funding a new high school building and elementary renovations, which were completed in 2024. This means the elementary facility has been recently updated or replaced, a point the district often notes.
State test results for the 2024-25 school year show a mixed picture. In third grade, no students tested proficient in math, and none tested proficient in English language arts either; the grade level had 30 students enrolled. By fourth grade, the proficiency rate in English language arts was well above half of the tested students, but in fourth-grade math, again none tested proficient. Fifth graders tested in English language arts had a proficiency rate under half. In fifth-grade science, no students tested proficient. In math across all tested grades, the school recorded no proficient scores. The overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, places the school in the bottom quartile among districts in Cedar County.
The multi-year trend in English language arts shows that the most recently recorded proficiency rate was lower than the earlier one in the same year, suggesting some movement but making it difficult to identify a clear pattern. The trend data for math follows a similar shape. Because the school only serves early elementary grades, there is no graduation rate, and chronic absenteeism data was not available.
Laurel itself is a community that has been investing in its infrastructure. A downtown revitalization project completed in 2021 brought new streets, wider sidewalks, and sewer upgrades. A new community center opened in 2022, and a new fire hall opened in 2021. The town has four parks, a public swimming pool, a splash pad, and a disc golf course. The local industrial park has attracted new businesses, and residential lots are available for new housing on the west side of town. There is no public transit; residents drive. The BNSF Railway runs through town, and Highway 15 and Highway 20 intersect in Laurel.
For a family considering this school, the strongest signal is the district's recent investment in its facilities, including the elementary school. The academic performance data, however, shows substantial variation by grade and subject, with very low math proficiency rates across all tested grades and a science rate that was also low the only year it was tested. The English language arts results in fourth grade stand out as a relative bright spot within the elementary building. A parent may want to discuss with the school how math instruction and science instruction are being addressed, and whether the recent facility improvements are tied to any broader academic plans. The rural setting, small enrollment, and tight-knit community are characteristic strengths of this kind of school, and the district's three-campus arrangement means families will eventually need to manage a short drive when their child reaches middle school in Coleridge.
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