The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Weeping Water Elementary School
Weeping Water Elementary School serves students in preschool through fifth grade as part of the Weeping Water Public Schools district in Cass County, Nebraska. The school is housed within a single K-12 building complex at the heart of this small, heavily wooded rural community situated on Weeping Water Creek, roughly between Omaha and Lincoln. The town itself has a stable, slow-growing population and a compact geography, where schools, civic buildings, and the six-block Main Street business district all sit within close walking distance.
The school serves a small student body. The overwhelming majority of students are white, with the remaining enrollment representing a few students who are Black, Hispanic, American Indian, or of two or more races. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that gives the school a moderate share of economically disadvantaged families but not an especially high concentration. The school runs its own Head Start and preschool program on site, which accounts for a substantial portion of the overall enrollment. For families with young children, that integrated early childhood offering is a practical feature within a single-building district.
State testing data for the 2024-25 school year shows mathematics proficiency rates that were reported at zero percent across grades three, four, and five. English language arts proficiency rates were also reported at zero percent for those same grades. The science proficiency rate for fifth grade was reported at zero percent. These figures, as they appear in the data, are striking and warrant direct inquiry with the school or district. The multi-year academic trend data, however, adds an important layer. In the same 2024-25 school year, a separate grouping of students produced an ELA proficiency rate that falls in the midrange, and a math proficiency rate that is higher still. That same trend data shows a science proficiency rate reported at zero percent. The discrepancy between the main grade-level results and the school-level aggregate trend totals suggests that reporting complexities or small-group sizes may be at play. A parent evaluating this school should ask the administration for a clear explanation of the assessment results and how they interpret them, especially given that the comparison to other Cass County school districts places this school in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades.
Because the school serves only grades PK through five, there is no graduation rate to report. The district as a whole did not show any parent-relevant changes from recent years in publicly available sources, such as a referendum, a curriculum overhaul, or a property tax shift, so the school appears to be operating under steady district conditions.
Housing in the area is less expensive than the state median for Nebraska, with home values in the Weeping Water zip code sitting meaningfully below the state benchmark and well below the national median. This makes the community comparatively affordable for families who can commute to larger employment centers. The local economy is anchored by the limestone quarry industry and small-town public-sector jobs, and no large private employers were identified beyond that.
The school's setting is integrated into daily town life, with the same building complex serving all grades K-12 plus Head Start and preschool. For a family considering this school, the most essential next step is a conversation with the principal or district office about state test data. The reported proficiency rates are the kind of number that, on its face, raises questions, but the conflicting aggregate trend data suggests the full picture may be more nuanced than the grade-level scores alone indicate. This is a school where direct inquiry, not published figures alone, will provide the real answer a parent needs.
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