The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in Math. The lowest is 0% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Loup County Elementary School
Loup County Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in the village of Taylor, the county seat of Loup County, Nebraska. The school is a regular public school and the only elementary school within Loup County Public Schools, a district that covers the entire county. Taylor itself is a very small village, primarily residential and civic in character, with the courthouse, post office, community center, and event center clustered around a central square. The school is integrated into this village center, and civic life revolves around local institutions such as the Taylor Library, the Loup County Event Center, and the courthouse. Growth is limited given the population, though the recent construction of the event center represents a notable community investment.
The student body is small, with enrollment across eight grade levels. The vast majority of students are white, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a community with considerable economic need. Class sizes are very small, which is typical for a rural school in a sparsely populated county. Parents considering this school should understand that the peer environment is one of a tight-knit, rural setting where students are likely to have close relationships with teachers and classmates across grades.
State testing results are available for some grade levels but are limited due to the small cohort sizes. For the third grade, proficiency in math was at the midpoint, while proficiency in English language arts was low, with no students reaching the proficient level in that subject. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand the instructional supports in place and how the school addresses early literacy. Testing results for fourth, fifth, and sixth grades in both math and ELA were suppressed to protect student privacy, as were results for fifth-grade science. The school achieved full participation in testing for all reported grades, which is a positive indicator of engagement. Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report, and no data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing was available in the provided information. The multi-year academic trend data covered only the most recent school year, so no performance trend can be described.
The school offers no data on advanced coursework, career programs, or specialized magnet or charter designations; it is a standard public school focused on the elementary grade band. The comparison set for this school is the districts in Loup County, but since there is only one district, no meaningful comparative position can be drawn. Parents looking for relative academic benchmarks against other schools will need to look beyond the county.
For a family considering this school, the primary considerations are the extremely small size, the rural location, the moderate to high level of economic disadvantage among families, and the incomplete picture from state assessments. The community offers a walkable village center with a handful of civic amenities, but lacks major commercial employers. The school is the main educational institution in the area, and the district operates only one other school (presumably the secondary school). Anyone moving to the area with elementary-aged children should expect a close, intimate school experience where individual attention is possible, but also should be prepared for the realities of a school system that serves a very small and dispersed population.
See more original research from School Decision →