The top reported proficiency rate is 89% in Science. The lowest is 24% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Holdrege Middle School
Holdrege Middle School serves grades five through eight in the Holdrege Public Schools district, a regular public school in the county seat of Phelps County. The town of Holdrege is a stable, small community with a brick-paved downtown, a mix of manufacturing and agricultural employers, and a set of civic amenities including parks, a library, and a performing arts center. The school building sits within this community, not on a separate campus, and the district has a 1:1 technology program that gives each student a device.
The student body is small for a middle school spanning four grades. The demographic profile is predominantly white, with a modest share of Hispanic students and very small numbers of students from other racial backgrounds. A substantial share of students come from households with low enough income to qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
State testing results present a mixed picture that a parent would want to examine grade by grade. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient rises and falls across the grades, landing near the half mark in seventh and eighth grades. The fifth-grade reading proficiency rate is notably lower than the others. Math results show a sharper grade-level pattern: sixth graders had a solid proficiency rate, but the rates for seventh graders and especially for fifth and eighth graders were low. Science results are a clear strength. Both fifth and eighth graders posted high proficiency rates, a pattern that holds up well against any peer group.
When compared to other districts within Phelps County, the school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades sits in the bottom quartile. This is a soft spot in the data. Because the comparison set includes only four districts, the range is narrow, but the school's number is the lowest of those with reported results. A parent may want to ask the school how it has approached early middle school math and reading instruction, and what supports are available for students who are below proficient.
The school is a regular public school, not a charter. The district's most recent accreditation review, conducted in 2024, granted continuing accreditation through 2029. Graduation rate data is not available because the school does not serve high school grades. Attendance and chronic absenteeism data were also not available for this school.
The housing market in Holdrege is notably more affordable than the state or national benchmark. Median home values in the area sit below the Nebraska average, and the overall price-to-income ratio suggests that homeownership is within reach for many families in the community. The town’s population has been stable over recent decades, with modest spatial expansion. The local unemployment rate has been steady, and median household income has trended upward nationally, which provides context for the economic stability of the area the school draws from.
This is a small-town middle school serving a community with limited economic diversity. Its science program stands out as a clear academic strength. The math results, particularly in the upper and lower grades of the band, are the area a family would want to investigate most closely. The school is not a high-poverty school by national measures, but a significant share of its families do qualify for economic assistance. For a family moving to Holdrege, this school offers the predictability of a district that has recently passed an outside accreditation review and the tangible benefit of a district-wide technology initiative, alongside test results that vary meaningfully by subject and grade level.
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