The top reported proficiency rate is 35% in Math. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Maywood High School
Maywood High School serves grades seven through twelve in the tiny rural village of Maywood, Nebraska, which sits in Frontier County along the southwestern edge of the state. The school is the secondary arm of the Maywood Public Schools district, the only public school system in this agricultural community. With a modest enrollment for a combined middle and high school, the student body is overwhelmingly white and includes a small number of Hispanic students. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a substantial share of families in this village face economic constraints.
The academic picture from the most recent state assessments is uneven. In the tested grades, math results showed a sharp split: seventh graders as a group did not meet the proficiency benchmark, while eighth graders performed at a rate that stood out within the school’s own results. English language arts also varied, with seventh graders achieving at a higher level and eighth graders not reaching the proficiency mark. Science results for the tested eighth grade were similarly low. Across subjects and grades, the single year of testing data reveals significant inconsistency, and a parent may want to ask the school directly about what instruction and support look like for students at each grade level, especially given the small class sizes.
The school does not report a graduation rate in the available data. Since the school serves a seven-through-twelve grade span, a four-year cohort measure would be expected, but the information was not provided. Similarly, data on special education identification, English learner status, chronic absenteeism, and discipline were not available in the materials reviewed.
Maywood itself is a very small, primarily residential village that was founded along a railroad line in the 1880s. It has experienced a slight population decline in recent years, and the housing market reflects its rural, lower-cost context: home values in the area are well below both the state and national averages. The village has a mix of owner-occupied and rental housing, with a notable share of vacant units. The local economy centers on agriculture and small businesses, and the school district is likely among the larger employers. Nearby lakes and fishing are referenced as local amenities. The nearest larger commercial center, McCook, is about a half-hour drive away, and more substantial services are in North Platte.
The district itself does not have any recent major changes on record that would affect parents’ choices, such as boundary adjustments, new program launches, or shifts in pedagogy. That lack of disruption can be a neutral stability for families already in the system, but it also means no new academic initiatives were identified to address the performance gaps seen in the state results.
For a family considering this school, the key facts are the small, rural setting, a predominantly white student body, significant economic need among the student population, and state test results that vary widely by grade and subject. The school offers a traditional academic program without specialized tracks, and the community is quiet and slow-growing. A parent moving to this part of Nebraska would benefit from speaking directly with school staff about how instruction is tailored to the small cohort sizes and what academic expectations look like across the middle and high school years.
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