The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in Science. The lowest is 16% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Alma Elementary at Alma
Alma Elementary at Alma serves students from prekindergarten through sixth grade in the small south-central Nebraska town of Alma, the county seat of Harlan County. The school is part of Alma Public Schools, the only district in the county, and sits at the junction of two U.S. highways near the northwest end of the Harlan County Reservoir. The town itself is experiencing a pattern of population decline while property values rise, a dynamic affecting many rural Great Plains communities. Median home values in the area have increased notably in recent years, and the local housing market, when viewed against national benchmarks, shows homes are relatively affordable.
The school enrolls a small number of students across the elementary and middle grades. The student body is predominantly white, with a very small number of students identifying as Hispanic, Asian, Black, or two or more races. Just over two in five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that points to a moderate level of economic need in the community. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available in the records reviewed.
Because the school serves only through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and the academic picture comes entirely from state testing in grades three through six. On the Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System, results vary considerably by grade and subject. In third grade, a solid majority of students met the proficiency bar in both math and English language arts, and fifth-grade science results showed a strong share of students meeting the standard. Those are genuine strengths for an elementary school of this size. However, in fourth grade, about half of students were proficient in English language arts, and in math, no tested student at that grade was reported as proficient. Fifth and sixth grade math also recorded no students at the proficient level, and fifth grade English language arts results were similarly low. The pattern across grades suggests that while some cohorts perform well, others struggle substantially, and a parent may want to ask the school what supports are in place for students in the grades where proficiency lagged.
Multi-year trend data, available for only a single year, did not allow change over time to be calculated, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent an upward or downward trajectory.
Alma Elementary is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. No Title I status was reported. The school operates within a very small district, and the comparison set of Harlan County districts includes only Alma Public Schools itself, so it is not possible to position the school against local peers on the measures used. No information on discipline rates, staffing ratios, attendance, or course access beyond core academics was available in the data.
For a family considering Alma, the school offers a small, rural elementary setting in a town with a modest downtown core anchored by the county courthouse and a reservoir that draws recreation. The housing market is relatively affordable compared to state and national averages, and the school’s overall enrollment is small, which often appeals to families who want a close-knit environment. The academic data presents a mixed picture: strong early elementary results in some subjects alongside grades where proficiency was absent, a gap that warrants direct conversation with the school’s leadership. No recent district-level changes or initiatives that would affect families were identified in publicly available records.
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