The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Schuyler Middle School
Schuyler Middle School serves grades six through eight in the Schuyler Community Schools district, a regular public school in the small industrial city of Schuyler, Nebraska. The school sits in a community shaped by meatpacking, rail, and agriculture, anchored by the Cargill beef processing plant and a substantial immigrant workforce. The student body reflects that character: a large majority of students are Hispanic, with smaller shares of white and Black students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a marker of the broad economic need in the community. Home values in the area are moderately below the state median, and the housing market has seen noticeable appreciation in recent years.
State testing data from the most recent school year shows a mixed picture across subjects and grade levels. In sixth grade, math proficiency was reported at a level that many families would consider adequate, while reading proficiency was lower. In seventh and eighth grades, however, state assessment results reported zero percent proficiency in math, and eighth-grade science also showed zero percent proficiency. Reading in seventh grade similarly reported a zero percent proficiency rate. Eighth-grade reading showed a more typical level. Overall, the school’s proficiency index places it in the bottom quarter among districts in Colfax County. A parent considering this school may want to discuss these results directly with school administrators to understand instructional approaches, supports, and any context around the assessment data.
The school draws its enrollment from a town that has experienced steady population growth and a dramatic demographic shift over the past several decades, driven largely by the meatpacking industry. The community is a working-class center with limited walkability and a downtown oriented around the railroad and highway corridor. No detailed information was publicly reported about recent district-level changes such as bond referendums, curriculum initiatives, or property tax measures, so the school’s programmatic direction and any recent investments are not part of this account.
Program offerings, discipline rates, staffing ratios, and attendance data were not available for this school, and because it serves only middle grades there is no graduation rate to report. These gaps mean a full picture of student support systems and school climate cannot be drawn here. For a family looking at this school, the central facts are a student body that is both heavily Hispanic and economically disadvantaged, set in a town where many families work in industrial and agricultural jobs, and a pattern of state test results that includes some promising sixth-grade math scores alongside very low reported proficiency in other subjects and grades. The school’s size is typical for a middle school serving this grade band. The peer environment is one of notable diversity by ethnicity and economic background, which may appeal to families who value that context and are comfortable having their child in a school where most classmates qualify for meal assistance. The academic performance, particularly in the upper middle grades, is an area where additional inquiry is warranted before making a decision.
See more original research from School Decision →