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Hayward Elementary School

Public Grades 3-5

277^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 294 Nebraska Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of Nebraska elementary schools

Summary

Hayward Elementary School is a public elementary school in Nebraska City, Nebraska, serving grades 3-5 with a total enrollment of 289 students. Unfortunately, the school has consistently performed poorly, ranking in the bottom quartile of Nebraska elementary schools over the past 10 years and maintaining a 1-star or 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Hayward Elementary struggles across various student subgroups, with the school ranking in the bottom quartile for female, male, and white students, and in the bottom half for Hispanic and special education students. The school's academic performance, as measured by proficiency rates on the NSCAS assessments, is significantly below the state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. Additionally, Hayward Elementary has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 19.3% to 34% over the past few years, which is well above the state average. The school also has a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 51.24% to 58.82% in recent years, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

In contrast, the nearby Nebraska City Northside Elementary, which is also part of the Nebraska City Public Schools district, has higher test scores, lower chronic absenteeism, and a lower percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Additionally, other nearby schools, such as Weeping Water Elementary, Johnson County Central Elementary-Cook, and Elementary School at Johnson, have notably higher rankings, better test scores, and lower rates of chronic absenteeism and free/reduced-price lunch eligibility compared to Hayward Elementary.

330

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,669

Per pupil spending ?

61.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

306 S 14th St
Nebraska City, NE 68410-2064

(402) 873-6641

District: Nebraska City Public Schools

Students who attend Hayward Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Nebraska City Middle School
High:	Nebraska City High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.8%

Hispanic:

26.1%

Two or more races:

1.8%

See top rated Nebraska elementary schools

Compare Hayward Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 32nd percentile in 2015 → 6th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Nebraska average (48% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 26 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school48%

District avg50%

Nebraska avg61%

277^th of 294

Nebraska public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 26 pts since 2015

From bottom 32% (2015) to bottom 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Nebraska Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

118^th of 118Nebraska City Public Schools 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	6.6	277 of 294	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.2	348 of 428	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.6	348 of 459	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	382 of 457	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.4	407 of 442	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.1	395 of 452	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.2	398 of 450	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	15.1	412 of 459	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	32.2	365 of 480	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	38.9	331 of 488	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	39.8	322 of 483	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	42.6	310 of 485	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	43.0	309 of 480	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	47.2	264 of 473	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	40.2	370 of 502	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	54.6	261 of 471	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	56.8	255 of 478	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	65.9	151 of 430	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	56.2	214 of 418	48.8%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	56.7	31 of 76	59.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2024	18.1	187 of 203	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.2	285 of 349	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.1	299 of 337	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	6.9	302 of 318	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.4	318 of 349	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.3	301 of 341	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	46.0	59 of 108	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.2	47 of 81	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	13.2	83 of 90	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	43.3	52 of 81	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2024	26.9	91 of 112	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.8	197 of 312	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.2	211 of 259	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.0	250 of 264	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.6	266 of 298	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.7	241 of 281	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2024	25.8	175 of 203	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.3	225 of 366	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	18.0	300 of 356	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	6.1	316 of 328	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.7	315 of 367	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.3	311 of 347	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	35.1	42 of 57	26.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	11.8	42 of 43	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	2.1	191 of 193	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.1	255 of 261	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.3	341 of 385	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	7.8	380 of 388	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.3	368 of 368	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.2	375 of 391	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.7	378 of 391	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2023)59th percentile+35 vs school

Hispanic (2023)45th percentile+21 vs school

Special Education (2023)26th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)19th percentile~ school

Male (2024)14th percentile-5 vs school

Female (2024)8th percentile-11 vs school

White (2025)1st percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Nebraska (2024-2025) ?

Science74%-6 vs state

English Language Arts44%-15 vs state

Mathematics43%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hayward Elementary School

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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)					NSCAS Science (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 6th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts All Grades	NSCAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 4th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 5th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 6th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics All Grades	NSCAS Science 5th Grade	NSCAS Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hayward Elementary School	Public	3-5	306 S 14th St	Nebraska City	68410	Otoe County	Nebraska City Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 873-6641	330	22	14.7	61.5%	237 (71.8%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (26.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.8%)	6.6	277^th of 294 public elementary schools	5.8%		23.2	348^th of 428 public elementary schools	18.7%	71	40.4	46.5	43.2		43.5	48.5	45.6	34.2		42.6	73.9	73.9	$14,669	$963	$12,195
Nebraska City Northside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	1200 North 14th Street	Nebraska City	68410	Otoe County	Nebraska City Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 874-9193	370	25	15.1	58.9%	268 (72.4%)	2 (0.5%)	81 (21.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.3%)								(n/a)													$19,144	$1,891	$14,701
Elementary School At Syracuse	Public	PK, KG-3	550 7th St	Syracuse	68446	Otoe County	Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 269-2382	277	19	14.9	17.3%	262 (94.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.7%)								(n/a)	70.0				70.0	76.7				76.7			$15,734	$590	$13,014
Conestoga Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	104 E High St	Murray	68409	Cass County	Conestoga Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 235-2341	376	30	12.4	27.1%	344 (91.5%)	2 (0.5%)	19 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.1%)	46.6	173^rd of 294 public elementary schools	41.2%		70.6	122^nd of 428 public elementary schools	71.5%	51	47.2	68.3	63.3	75.0	63.2	58.5	63.5		75.0	64.6			$18,358	$619	$15,432
Johnson County Central Elementary-Cook	Public	4-5	407 N 1st St	Cook	68329	Johnson County	Johnson County Central Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 864-4181	72	7	10.7	65.3%	54 (75.0%)	3 (4.2%)	13 (18.1%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)								(n/a)		64.7			57.6					54.6			$25,294	$1,311	$19,829
Elementary School At Johnson	Public	PK, KG-5	310 Main St	Johnson	68378	Nemaha County	Johnson-Brock Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 868-5235	167	12	13.7	23.4%	162 (97.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.8%)								(n/a)		80.0			82.8					90.6			$19,191	$799	$16,183
Weeping Water Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	204 West O	Weeping Water	68463	Cass County	Weeping Water Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 267-2435	158	16	9.6	27.2%	147 (93.0%)	3 (1.9%)	3 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.5%)								(n/a)		63.6			72.4		71.4			75.4			$29,010	$1,262	$23,274

Frequently Asked Questions about Hayward Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Hayward Elementary School?

Students at Hayward Elementary School are 72% White, 26% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

Is Hayward Elementary School a good school?

Hayward Elementary School ranks in the bottom 5.8% of Nebraska elementary schools.

How many students attend Hayward Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 330 students attended Hayward Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Hayward Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Hayward Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Nebraska City Middle School
High : Nebraska City High School

What district is Hayward Elementary School in?

Nebraska City Public Schools

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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.