Battle Creek Elementary School, Battle Creek NE

Original Research by School Decision on Battle Creek Elementary School

Battle Creek Elementary School serves students from preschool through sixth grade as a regular public school in the small Nebraska town of Battle Creek, part of the Battle Creek Public Schools district. The school is located on 4th Street in the compact residential core, and the town itself is described by its own website as a clean, quiet small‑living community in the Elkhorn River Valley about a short drive from Norfolk. Population growth here has been essentially flat, and the housing market shows home values that sit near the state average and have been rising.

The student body is small for a PK‑6 school and overwhelmingly white; a modest share of families qualify for free or reduced‑price lunch. The district reported no recent changes that would shape a parent’s decision, and the school does not publicize any special programs or pathways beyond the standard elementary curriculum. No data was available on staffing ratios, chronic absenteeism, or discipline, and the school does not appear to have a Title I designation.

State test results present an unusual picture. In grade 3, proficiency rates in both math and English language arts were solid. In grade 5, science proficiency was also strong. However, for grades 4, 5, and 6 the school reported zero percent proficiency in both math and ELA, and grade 4 and 6 have no separate science test. Because the grade‑level numbers are reported as zero with no accompanying explanation, a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what drove those results. The overall proficiency index, which averages across all tested subjects and grades, places the school in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Madison County.

There is no graduation rate to consider because the school does not serve high school grades, and no career or advanced coursework offerings apply at this level. The town has limited commercial street life and no public transit; civic anchors include a park with a pool and ball fields, a golf course nearby, and two churches that also run a separate private school. Many residents commute to Norfolk for employment.

For a family considering Battle Creek Elementary, the academic picture is mixed. The early‑grade and science results look solid, while the pattern of zero reported proficiency in the upper elementary grades is a clear question mark. The school environment is small‑town and stable, with a largely homogenous student population and a housing market that remains affordable relative to national benchmarks. Families who prioritize a quiet, tight‑knit setting may find it appealing, but they will want to get a fuller explanation of the test‑score pattern before making a decision.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 376%

School 76% · District 87% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▲ 76 pts above state median · ▲ 76 pts above county median

Grade 40%

School 0% · district not reported

even with state median · even with county median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 83% · ▼ 83 pts below district

even with state median

Grade 60%

School 0% · district not reported

even with state median

English language arts

Grade 369%

School 69% · District 87% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▲ 69 pts above state median · ▲ 69 pts above county median

Grade 40%

School 0% · District 87% · ▼ 86 pts below district

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 66% · ▼ 66 pts below district

even with state median

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 81% · ▼ 81 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median

Science

Grade 580%

School 80% · district not reported

▲ 80 pts above state median

This schoolBATTLE CREEK PUBLIC SCHOOLS, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income71%Higher-income72%1 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income69%28 pp gap