The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Holdrege Elementary School
Holdrege Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through fourth grade in the Phelps County seat of Holdrege, Nebraska. The school is part of Holdrege Public Schools, a district that recently earned continuing accreditation through an external review and maintains a 1:1 technology-enhanced learning environment where each student has access to a device. For a family considering this school, the picture is shaped by what the state testing data shows and what the school's grade band means for the metrics available.
The school serves a predominantly white student body, with a Hispanic population making up a meaningful share of enrollment. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that places the school in a middle range for economic need. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and serves prekindergarten through fourth grade. Because the school does not serve grades that take high school exit exams, there is no graduation rate to report, and the absence of that metric is simply a function of the grade band.
State assessment results for the most recent testing year show a mixed picture. In English language arts, third graders posted a proficiency rate that was below the midpoint, while fourth graders reached a rate that was above the midpoint. In mathematics, both third and fourth graders recorded proficiency rates that were very low, with the data showing zero percent proficient for both grade levels. The multi-year trend data, which includes five points for each subject, shows that the combined all-grade proficiency rate in English language arts moved from a lower figure to a higher figure over the period, while the combined all-grade proficiency rate in mathematics moved from a higher figure to a lower figure. The comparison to other districts in Phelps County places Holdrege Elementary in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades, based on a proficiency index that averages the reported rates. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly regarding the mathematics results and what instructional supports are in place.
The school environment is that of a regular public school in a small Midwestern county seat. Holdrege itself is a community with brick-paved downtown intersections, historic commercial buildings, and mature trees lining residential streets. Major employers include BD, a medical equipment manufacturer, and Allmand Brothers, a construction equipment exporter, along with healthcare and agriculture. The town has a YMCA, a performing arts center, a library described as one of the best in rural Nebraska, and parks with hiking trails and a fishing lake. Housing values in the area are below the national median, and the local economy has shown stability. The district has a 1:1 technology initiative and received continuing accreditation through a recent external review.
For a family considering Holdrege Elementary, the school offers a small-town setting with a technology-rich learning environment and a district that has passed an external accreditation review. The student body is predominantly white with a Hispanic minority, and about half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The academic picture is uneven, with English language arts results showing a range from below to above the midpoint depending on grade, and mathematics results that are a clear area of concern. A parent would want to understand what interventions and supports are in place for math instruction, and how the school's approach to early elementary education addresses the foundational skills that students will need as they move into upper grades.
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