Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Hitchcock County Elementary

Q: Is Hitchcock County Elementary a good school?

Hitchcock County Elementary ranks 132 nd of 294 Nebraska elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

132^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 294 Nebraska Elementary Schools

Better than 55% of Nebraska elementary schools

Summary

Hitchcock County Elementary in Culbertson, NE, is a small, rural school serving 161 students in grades PK-6 as part of the highly-rated Hitchcock County School System, which ranks in the top 25% of Nebraska districts.

This school stands out from nearby schools in several key ways. It achieves superior mathematics proficiency, with 74.68% of students meeting standards in 2024-2025, notably higher than Central Elementary School (73.08%) and the McCook Public Schools district average (71.23%). The school also has a significantly lower chronic absenteeism rate of just 9.3%, which is less than half the state average of 19.3% and much better than nearby McCook Elementary School (10.5%) and Central Elementary (14.2%). Additionally, the school invests more per student ($21,006) than its McCook counterparts, contributing to a smaller student-teacher ratio of 12.3:1, allowing for more individualized attention.

While the school is a powerhouse in math, its English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency of 69.62% is strong compared to the state (58.79%) but lags behind McCook Elementary (77.08%). A closer look reveals that 3rd-grade ELA scores (57.14%) are significantly lower than 4th-grade scores (76.92%), suggesting an area for targeted support. The school has shown impressive resilience, recovering from a pandemic-era dip to a 3-star rating, and has a history of exceptional performance with students from low-income backgrounds, ranking in the 97th percentile for this group in 2018-2019. This combination of high math scores, low absenteeism, and strong support for all students makes Hitchcock County Elementary a compelling choice for families.

161

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,006

Per pupil spending ?

41.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

712 Arizona
Culbertson, NE 69024-0128

(308) 278-2131

District: Hitchcock County School System

Students who attend Hitchcock County Elementary usually attend:

High:

Hitchcock County Junior/Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

93.2%

Hispanic:

3.7%

Two or more races:

3.1%

See top rated Nebraska elementary schools

Compare Hitchcock County Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 86th percentile in 2015 → 55th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Nebraska average (72% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Above the Nebraska median (55th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 31 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school72%

District avg71%

Nebraska avg58%

132^nd of 294

Nebraska public elementary schools ?

Top 45%▼ down 31 pts since 2015

From top 14% (2015) to top 45% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Nebraska Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

25^th of 118Hitchcock County School System among Nebraska districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	56.9	132 of 294	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.7	147 of 428	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	73.4	112 of 459	75.6%	★★★★☆
2022	73.6	93 of 457	79.6%	★★★★☆
2021	41.3	278 of 442	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.0	144 of 452	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.9	158 of 450	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	87.0	23 of 459	95.0%	★★★★★
2016	84.9	39 of 480	91.9%	★★★★★
2015	79.6	69 of 488	85.9%	★★★★☆
2014	81.4	54 of 483	88.8%	★★★★☆
2013	58.2	199 of 485	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	32.1	366 of 480	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	56.0	208 of 473	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	48.8	300 of 502	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	68.8	87 of 478	81.8%	★★★★☆
2007	85.1	11 of 430	97.4%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2019	90.0	8 of 298	97.3%	★★★★★
2018	80.7	33 of 281	88.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2019	78.0	63 of 367	82.8%	★★★★☆
2018	61.3	122 of 347	64.8%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	63.3	73 of 193	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.1	122 of 261	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.6	104 of 385	73.0%	★★★★☆
2022	63.6	112 of 388	71.1%	★★★★☆
2021	34.8	262 of 368	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	57.7	149 of 391	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.3	164 of 391	58.1%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2019)97th percentile+29 vs school

Male (2019)83rd percentile+15 vs school

White (2025)62nd percentile+7 vs school

By subject vs Nebraska (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics75%+17 vs state

English Language Arts70%+11 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Hitchcock County Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Hitchcock County Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Hitchcock County Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NSCAS English Language Arts (2025)				NSCAS Mathematics (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NSCAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts All Grades	NSCAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 4th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 5th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hitchcock County Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	712 Arizona	Culbertson	69024	Hitchcock County	Hitchcock County School System	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(308) 278-2131	161	13	12.3	41.6%	150 (93.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.1%)	56.9	132^nd of 294 public elementary schools	55.1%		65.7	147^th of 428 public elementary schools	65.7%	15	57.1	76.9		69.6		69.2		74.7	$21,006	$854	$16,194
Mc Cook Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	1500 W 3rd St	Mc Cook	69001	Red Willow County	Mc Cook Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(308) 345-5681	411	29	14.0	43.8%	363 (88.3%)	2 (0.5%)	37 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.9%)								(n/a)	77.1			77.1	80.2			80.2	$17,325	$1,187	$14,659
Central Elementary School	Public	4-5	604 W 1st	Mc Cook	69001	Red Willow County	Mc Cook Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(308) 345-3976	181	14	12.8	37.0%	156 (86.2%)	1 (0.6%)	19 (10.5%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.2%)	58.4	126^th of 294 public elementary schools	57.1%		73.3	103^rd of 428 public elementary schools	75.9%	23		70.8	57.0	64.3		76.0	69.8	73.1	$16,173	$525	$14,254

Frequently Asked Questions about Hitchcock County Elementary

How many students attend Hitchcock County Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 161 students attended Hitchcock County Elementary.

Is Hitchcock County Elementary a good school?

Hitchcock County Elementary ranks 132^nd of 294 Nebraska elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Hitchcock County Elementary in?

Hitchcock County School System

What schools do graduates of Hitchcock County Elementary attend?

Students who attend Hitchcock County Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Hitchcock County Junior/Senior High School

What is the racial makeup of Hitchcock County Elementary?

Students at Hitchcock County Elementary are 93% White, 4% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

Rate Hitchcock County Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NENebraska Elementary School Rankings

NENebraska District Rankings

Schools in Culbertson, NE

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Hitchcock County Elementary!

Latest Nebraska data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataNov 29, 2025

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 29, 2025

2024–25 ACT test scoresNov 29, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Nebraska Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.