Superior Middle School

Superior Middle School is a public middle school in Superior, Nebraska, serving 84 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Superior Public Schools district, which is ranked 164 out of 182 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Over the past few years, Superior Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Nebraska middle schools, with a 1-star rating and a ranking of 173 out of 200 schools in the 2023-2024 school year.

The school faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 20.9% to 26.8% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Academically, the school's performance, as measured by the percentage of students proficient or better in NSCAS tests, is consistently below the state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2023-2024, only 31% of 6th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 58.3%. Additionally, a large proportion of the student population, 52.38% in the 2022-2023 school year, comes from low-socioeconomic status families.

Interestingly, the closest nearby middle school, Lawrence - Nelson Middle School, which is part of the South Central Nebraska Unified 5 district, has consistently outperformed Superior Middle School in academic metrics, with higher proficiency rates in NSCAS tests and a higher overall ranking from SchoolDigger. The high chronic absenteeism rates at Superior Middle School may be contributing to the school's low academic performance, as research has shown that chronic absenteeism is strongly correlated with lower student achievement.