The top reported proficiency rate is 15% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Harvard Middle School
Harvard Middle School serves grades six through eight as part of Harvard Public Schools, a single-district system in the small, rural town of Harvard in south-central Nebraska. The school is a regular public, non-charter institution. The enrollment is small, and the student body is predominantly White, with a substantial Hispanic minority and very small shares of Black and American Indian or Alaska Native students. Data on the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, students with disabilities, and English learners was not available, which is a meaningful gap for any parent trying to understand the level of economic diversity or specialized support within the school.
On state assessments, the most recent results present a very uneven picture. In eighth-grade English language arts, just under half of students scored proficient. In all other tested grades and subjects — sixth- and seventh-grade math and ELA, eighth-grade math, and eighth-grade science — the proficiency rate was zero percent. When compared to other districts in Clay County, Harvard’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among the four districts in the county. A parent considering this school should want to understand these results directly from the district, including what instructional strategies or interventions are in place and how student growth is being measured beyond a single annual snapshot. Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report.
The town of Harvard is a compact community — roughly a square mile — centered on Clay Avenue, where city offices and the police department are located. The population has been slowly declining for years. Most residents drive alone to work, and the largest local employment sectors are health care, education, and manufacturing. Housing is affordable compared with state and national benchmarks. The homeownership rate is high. There is no publicly reported new housing development or growth initiative; the trend is one of modest population loss and stable property values. The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes such as boundary adjustments, program launches, or facility upgrades that would affect a family’s decision.
This is a small, rural middle school in a town with a stable but slowly shrinking population. The academic data available raises significant questions. The broad pattern across tested subjects, with very low proficiency in most grade-subject combinations and only a modest result in one, suggests that a family should investigate the school’s curriculum, teacher retention, and student support resources closely. Given the small size of the school and the district, much of this information is best gathered through a direct conversation with the principal or a visit to the building. The school’s grade band means it feeds into a high school that is part of the same district; a parent may also want to learn about that school’s academic trajectory and outcomes, since middle school performance often signals what comes next.
The setting is quiet and residential, with no documented street life or dedicated pedestrian infrastructure. For a family that values a small, close-knit community and affordable housing, Harvard offers that package. For a family whose priority is strong academic performance on state measures, the available data gives reason for caution and for further inquiry.
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