The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in Science. The lowest is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Hayward Elementary School
Hayward Elementary School serves third through fifth graders in Nebraska City, a small county-seat community on the western bank of the Missouri River. The school is part of Nebraska City Public Schools and sits in the southern part of the city on 14th Street. Nebraska City blends a historic downtown, a notable tourism economy tied to Arbor Day heritage and the annual AppleJack Festival, and institutions like St. Mary's Hospital and the county courthouse. The town has grown modestly in population in recent years.
Hayward is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. Its enrollment is moderate for an upper-elementary building. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial share of Hispanic students and a small number of students who identify as two or more races. Just under three-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that indicates a significant concentration of lower-income families. Data on students with Individualized Education Programs and English learners was not available.
State testing results from the most recent year show a pattern that parents will want to examine closely. In mathematics, the proficiency rate was zero in all three tested grades. In English language arts, third graders had a modest rate of proficiency, fourth graders again had zero proficiency, and fifth graders had a figure above a quarter. Science, tested only in fifth grade, had a rate just under three in five. The proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades, a single combined measure, places the school in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Otoe County. The county has only a handful of school districts, so the range of comparison is narrow, but the position is still a low one.
A multi-year trend line, within a single school year, shows a drop in proficiency from an earlier assessment to the most recent one in both reading and math, with science also declining. Because the data covers only the most recent year, it is not possible to say whether this is a one-year fluctuation or part of a longer pattern. A parent may want to ask the school or district for more context on these results, including any changes to testing or curriculum that could have affected them.
The school serves only grades three through five, so there is no high school graduation rate and no data on chronic absenteeism. Those gaps are a function of the grade band. There is no information on course access, staffing, discipline, or attendance patterns. The district did not have any publicly reported recent changes in curriculum, referendums, or tax measures for parents to track.
Nebraska City offers a traditional small-town environment with tree-lined streets, a walkable historic core, and local amenities. Housing values fall below both state and national benchmarks, and the area is generally more affordable than the broader market. The absence of a public transit system in search results suggests most commuting is by car.
For a family considering Hayward Elementary, the central picture is a school in a modest-sized district with challenging academic results that are substantially below those of other districts in the county. The school has a high rate of poverty among its families. These are the facts as reported. A parent visiting the school would want to understand how the staff is working with the current proficiency data, what supports are in place for students who are behind, and how the district plans to address the performance gaps.
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