The top reported proficiency rate is 13% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Southwest Elementary-indianola
Southwest Elementary in Indianola is a small, regular public school serving prekindergarten through sixth grade. It is the elementary campus of Southwest Public Schools, a tiny district based in this rural village of Red Willow County in southwestern Nebraska. Indianola itself is a quiet agricultural-plains community, originally the county seat before the railroad shifted that role to nearby McCook. The village’s population is slowly declining, and its economy rests on retail trade, health care, and agriculture. Housing values in the area are notably below state and national averages, making this one of the more affordable places to live in Nebraska.
The student body is small and predominantly white, with a Hispanic population of moderate size. Just over half the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a level that signals a significant share of families relying on the federal meal program. Special population data for students with disabilities and English learners were not reported in the available records.
State testing results from the most recent school year paint a clear picture of where this school stands academically. In English language arts, performance varied sharply by grade. One grade level produced a proficiency rate above half, but the other three tested grades each recorded no students meeting the proficiency bar. In math, every tested grade reported a zero percent proficiency rate across the board, and the same zero appeared for fifth-grade science. These are raw facts from the state’s assessment, and they represent very low academic performance relative to state expectations. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages all tested subjects and grades, places it in the bottom quartile among the two districts in Red Willow County. A family considering this school would want to look into this further with the administration to understand what instructional supports are in place and how the school is addressing these results.
Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. That is a standard consequence of the grade band, not a gap in the data.
No course access information, program offerings, or staffing ratios were available in the records reviewed, so it is not possible to describe the breadth of what the school offers beyond its core elementary curriculum. The district’s brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes such as boundary adjustments, leadership turnover, or program additions, which means the district has likely been operating in a steady, low-profile manner.
For a parent reading this, the key takeaway is that Southwest Elementary sits in an affordable, slowly shrinking rural community and serves a small, low-income student population. Its state test results are very weak across math, reading, and science, with many grade levels showing no students reaching proficiency. A family moving to the area or choosing this school should plan to engage directly with the principal and teachers about academic support strategies, class size, and any supplemental programming that might help lift achievement. The school’s small size could mean more individualized attention, but the data provided does not confirm that through staffing figures or class-size reports. The community offers a quiet, car-dependent life with low housing costs, a city park, and a local depot museum, but few named employers or signs of economic growth.
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