The top reported proficiency rate is 16% in Math. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Stapleton Elementary School
Stapleton Elementary School is a regular public school serving prekindergarten through sixth grade in the village of Stapleton, Nebraska, the county seat of Logan County. It belongs to Stapleton Public Schools, the only district in the county, and sits in a region where the Nebraska Sandhills meet agricultural plains.
Stapleton is a small rural village with a declining population, located at the junction of two U.S. highways. Main Street holds the county courthouse, a cooperatively owned grocery, a bank, a hardware store, a newspaper, and a few other small businesses. The village is compact, and the school is part of this close-centered layout. Most residents commute elsewhere for work; large employers are absent. The community hosts an annual rodeo and county fair, and there are a few campgrounds, but street life is quiet. Population has been shrinking year over year, and no new housing developments or commercial expansions were found in publicly available reports.
The school itself is very small. Its student body is overwhelmingly white, with small numbers of Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
State testing results are reported for the school, but the picture they present is incomplete and unusual. In reading and math, proficiency rates for third, fourth, and fifth grade are reported at 0 percent. Science proficiency for fifth grade is also reported at 0 percent. Only sixth-grade math shows a proficiency rate above half. The school’s overall English language arts proficiency across all tested grades, as shown in multi-year data, stands around the two-thirds mark, while the overall math picture is harder to read because so many grade-level results are zeros. The data does not explain why most grade-level results are reported at zero; it could reflect small class sizes or reporting thresholds. A parent considering this school may want to ask directly about testing participation, how results are calculated, and what instruction looks like at each grade level.
No information was available on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, or course access. The district brief turned up no recent curriculum changes, referendums, or notable shifts in policy.
Housing in the area is less expensive than the state median, and home values have seen a modest recent uptick. Estimated monthly mortgage costs and rent are manageable relative to typical incomes, making the area affordable by broader standards. The village does not have public transit, and its slow population decline means no growth pressures on the school.
This school fits families who want a very small, rural elementary school in a tight-knit agricultural community where children can walk to school and daily needs are met locally. The academic data contains gaps that a prospective parent should investigate further. Because Stapleton Elementary ends at sixth grade, families will need to plan for where students attend seventh grade and beyond.
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