The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Maxwell High School
Maxwell High School serves roughly the entire secondary population of this tiny Lincoln County village, housing grades seven through twelve in a single building along the main highway corridor. For a family considering this school, the first thing to know is that it is very small and deeply rural, and the academic picture carries some genuine questions.
The school reports enrollment under a few hundred students, spread across six grades, so a typical class might be around two dozen students. The student body is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic minority and a very small number of Black and multiracial students. Nearly half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that reflects the community’s economic challenges. The village itself has been losing population for years, and the broader economic base is thin; most families likely commute to North Platte for work and services. Housing values in the area, based on the zillow index, are below the state average and well below the national average, making this one of the more affordable places to buy a home in Nebraska. The village is classified as rural and remote, so walkability is minimal and daily life revolves around the highway and car travel.
The academic data is what gives a parent the most pause. State assessment results for math and English language arts in seventh and eighth grade, and for science in eighth grade, were reported but showed a zero percent proficiency rate in every tested grade and subject for the most recent year. That is an unusually stark result. The multi-year trend lines, however, show that in past years the school had proficiency rates well above half in math and ELA, so this is not a school that has historically struggled at this level. What happened in the most recent testing year is not explained in the available data, but a parent would want to ask the school directly about that shift before making a judgment about current instruction.
Because the school serves grades seven through twelve but does not appear in the data to have a reported four-year graduation rate, and the civil-rights data was absent, some important metrics for a high school are missing. There is no information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or special education and English learner populations. The school’s program offerings were also not reported, so it is unclear what electives, career and technical education, or advanced coursework are available. As a small rural school, breadth of offerings is often limited, and a parent should confirm whether the school provides the coursework their child will need for college or career plans.
The comparison with other districts in Lincoln County places this school in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades, which tracks with the zero-percent year but also reflects that even in stronger years the school’s composite was below the county median. The district itself, Maxwell Public Schools, does not appear to have any recent major changes or initiatives publicly reported, so there is no indication of a recent turnaround effort or new programming.
Who this fits. A family that values a very small, rural setting where their child will be well-known across a single K-12 campus, and who is comfortable with a high degree of personal responsibility to supplement academic or extracurricular offerings. Families who prioritize strong state test scores or a wide menu of courses will need to investigate further, as the most recent assessment data raises flags that the school should be able to address directly. The community is affordable and quiet, with no growth pressure, but also limited local employment and amenities. This is a school where the relationship with the teacher and the small-group dynamic matter more than the aggregate numbers, and those numbers need an explanation the data alone cannot provide.
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