The top reported proficiency rate is 73% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on North Bend Central Elementary School
North Bend Central Elementary School serves prekindergarten through fifth grade in the small rural city of North Bend, Nebraska, which sits on the north bank of the Platte River. The school is a regular public school and a part of the North Bend Central Public Schools district. The school's enrollment is relatively small for its grade band, with a student body that is overwhelmingly white and a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.
State testing results for the most recent school year show a mixed picture across subjects. In English language arts, the share of students meeting proficiency was at a level that sits around the middle of the range one would typically see. The grade-level results show a wide spread, with third graders turning in a particularly strong performance while fifth graders showed a weaker one. In math, proficiency rates were notably strong at the fourth-grade level and still solid at the fifth-grade level. Third grade math results, however, showed no students reaching proficiency, though this single grade-level figure stands in clear contrast to the strong performance in the same subject for fourth and fifth graders. In science, which the state tests only in fifth grade, no students met the proficiency bar. A parent may want to ask the school directly about this set of results to understand the classroom and curriculum conditions that could explain the stark differences between grade levels and subjects. When placed alongside other districts in Dodge County, the school’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades falls below the midpoint of the cohort.
The community context of North Bend is that of a stable, small rural town. Population has held steady for roughly a century, and the largest employer in the area is the school district itself, which employs a modest number of people. Agriculture forms the base of the local economy. Housing in the zip code commands a price that sits close to the state benchmark, making it a relatively affordable market compared to national figures. The town has a traditional downtown core with a library and a golf course, and an annual festival is a fixture of civic life. The district’s campus location relative to downtown was not specified in available research.
The school itself offers no data on some important dimensions that can help families understand a school's environment. Information on special education staffing and services, English learner populations, chronic absenteeism, and disciplinary actions was not available. These are meaningful gaps for any parent evaluating whether the school can support their child’s specific needs. The district brief returned no actionable research from recent years, so current district-level initiatives or capital plans are not part of this account.
North Bend Central Elementary is a small, traditional elementary school in a stable rural community. Its academic numbers swing notably from grade to grade and subject to subject, with clear bright spots in reading for younger students and math for upper elementary grades, alongside a couple of results that raise questions worth exploring directly with teachers or administrators. Families looking for a school where they can engage directly with a small staff and a tight-knit community will find that here, while those with children entering tested grade levels may want to ask about the support systems in place across the building.
See more original research from School Decision →