The top reported proficiency rate is 62% in Science. The lowest is 0% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Hay Springs Elementary School
Hay Springs Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the small, rural agricultural community of Hay Springs, Nebraska. The school is part of the Hay Springs Public Schools district, a local employer that is woven into the fabric of this compact town at the intersection of US Highway 20 and State Highway 87. The community has experienced long-term population decline, and the surrounding economy is built on farming, ranching, and related retail. The town itself is car-dependent, with a limited commercial core and a handful of civic anchors including parks, a library, and a nursing home.
The school’s enrollment is small, and the student body is predominantly white, with a modest share of students identifying as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a detail that may give a parent a sense of the economic context many families in the community are navigating. Data on the share of students with individualized education programs or who are English learners was not available.
On state assessments, the academic picture is mixed and requires a parent’s attention. For the most recent testing year, proficiency rates in math across grades three, four, and five were reported as very low, a pattern that a family would want to discuss directly with the school to understand the instruction and support in place. In English language arts, the pattern was similar, with very low proficiency reported in the tested grades. However, on the fifth-grade science assessment, a majority of students met the proficiency bar, a clear bright spot that suggests the school may have particular strength in science instruction at that grade level. A multi-year look shows that the school’s proficiency rates have fluctuated. In an earlier year, a high share of students were proficient in math, and English language arts proficiency was also at a solid level. The most recent year’s numbers represent a sharp drop that parents will want to investigate.
Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to consider, which is expected for this grade band. No comparison to other Sheridan County districts was possible because the cohort of comparable districts was too small to produce a meaningful benchmark.
The district operates on a four-day school week, Monday through Thursday, a structural feature that directly shapes family schedules, childcare arrangements, and the amount of instructional time students receive. This is a lasting characteristic of the district that any parent considering the school would need to factor into their decision. Programs such as advanced coursework, career pathways, or special offerings were not available in the data for this school, so a parent should ask the school directly about any enrichment or support programs.
For a family considering Hay Springs, the elementary school sits at the center of a very small, rural community with a declining population and an economy tied to agriculture. The school’s academic results show a notable drop in math and reading proficiency in the most recent testing year, set against a strong science result for fifth graders. A parent moving to the area would want to visit the school, ask about the reasons behind the test scores, and understand how the four-day week works for their family’s daily life.
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