The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in Science. The lowest is 16% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Harney Elementary School
Harney Elementary School is a regular public school in South Sioux City, Nebraska, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The school sits within the South Sioux City Community Schools district, the only district in Dakota County that serves the city. South Sioux City is a small city across the Missouri River from Sioux City, Iowa, mixing residential neighborhoods with industrial and commercial development, anchored by the Roth Industrial Park. The city is relatively flat, with a family-oriented residential base and a 20-mile recreational bike trail. The district brief turned up no specific changes from recent years that would affect a family's decision, so what follows is a picture of the school itself.
Harney serves a student body that is majority Hispanic, with Black students as the next largest group, followed by a small share of white students and smaller shares of students who are American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or two or more races. A very large share of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is an indicator of the economic circumstances of the families the school serves.
On state assessments, the results are mixed and merit a close look. In the most recent testing year, math proficiency was well below half of tested students in third grade, and fourth grade math proficiency was reported as zero percent. Fifth grade math proficiency was higher, approaching half of students. In English language arts, third and fourth grade proficiency rates were low, while fifth grade proficiency was higher. Science, tested only in fifth grade, showed a majority of students meeting proficiency. The overall proficiency index, which combines all subjects and grades, placed Harney in the bottom quartile relative to the two districts in Dakota County.
Academic trends over recent years show a decline. In English language arts, the school's all-grades combined proficiency rate was at about half of students in the earliest year of data but fell to about a third of students in the most recent year. Math followed a similar downward path, dropping from around three-fifths to just over two-fifths. Science also declined from a higher baseline. These are clear signals that a parent would want to investigate further with the school, particularly around what interventions or supports are in place and whether the trajectory is expected to shift.
Because Harney is a pre-K through fifth grade school, there is no graduation rate to report. The data did not include information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, or course access, so those areas cannot be characterized here. Likewise, information on special education and English learner populations was not available in the data, which is a gap a parent may want to discuss with the school directly.
The housing context in the area shows a typical national affordability picture, with home values slightly below the state average and mortgage rates in the mid-single digits. The community has tight vacancy rates, indicating a limited supply of available homes. South Sioux City's economic development program has attracted investment and job creation, and the industrial park positions the city for continued growth.
This is a school where the family context is economically diverse, with a high proportion of students from lower-income households. The academic performance numbers, particularly in reading and math in the earlier elementary grades, are areas of concern that any prospective parent would want to follow up on. The fifth-grade results are stronger, and science stands out as a relative bright spot within the school, but the overall trend has been moving in the wrong direction. Harney is a neighborhood elementary school in a small city with an industrial base, and for a family considering it, the key move is to talk with the school about what drives the testing picture and what academic support looks like day to day.
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