The top reported proficiency rate is 91% in English language arts. The lowest is 80% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Crete Elementary School
Crete Elementary School serves children from preschool through second grade, and its profile is shaped by the fact that it covers only the earliest years. The school is one building in the Crete Public Schools system, located in the small city of Crete in Saline County. For a parent considering this school, the most important thing to understand is what the available data shows and what the data does not cover because of the school’s grade span.
The available academic data comes from state testing in third and fourth grades. Because the school only goes through second grade, the children tested in those grades attend a different school within the district. The results are reported under Crete Elementary School’s NCES identifier, which means they reflect the performance of students who have moved on from the building. In both math and English language arts for those grades, proficiency rates were strong. While the district as a whole may look to these numbers as a signal of early preparation, a parent considering Crete Elementary specifically should note that the tested students are no longer in the building. There is no testing data for the grades actually taught here, which is typical for a PK-2 school.
Enrollment information provides a clearer picture of the school itself. The school serves a student body that in terms of composition is majority Hispanic, with a substantial share of White students and small numbers of Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and multiracial students. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need. Data on special education and English learner status was not available in the records we reviewed.
The community of Crete is a small city with a mixed residential and industrial character. Manufacturing, educational services, and retail trade are the largest local industries. Doane University is located within the city, giving it a campus presence and a set of civic and economic ties beyond the K-12 system. The built environment is car-oriented, with most residents driving alone to work. The city has seen modest recent population growth and maintains a dedicated local sales tax for economic development and capital construction, signaling ongoing investment in the community.
The district of Crete Public Schools was searched for recent changes relevant to parents, but no lasting developments were found in publicly reported information. The district operates multiple school buildings serving students through high school, and Crete Elementary is the entry point for the youngest learners.
Housing costs in the area, as reflected by the ZIP-code-level home value index, sit below the state benchmark and below the national benchmark. The economic context shows a stable national unemployment rate and a moderate 30-year mortgage rate.
A comparison of Crete Elementary’s proficiency index against other schools in its county places it in the top quartile, though again this comparison is built from test results of students who are no longer in this building. The school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades was above the midpoint compared to other districts in Saline County, with a cohort of three districts in the comparison set. Graduation rate and chronic absenteeism data were not applicable because the school does not serve high school grades and does not have that metric.
For a family with a young child entering preschool, kindergarten, or first or second grade, Crete Elementary offers a straightforward choice: it is the district’s early-elementary building, and the available context suggests it serves a high-need student population in a community with a strong industrial and educational employment base. A parent may want to ask the school directly about early literacy and math programming, class sizes, and support for English learners, since those specific details were not available in the public data we examined.
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