Wilber-Clatonia Middle School

Wilber-Clatonia Middle School is a small, rural school in Wilber, Nebraska, serving 154 students in grades 6-8, and is part of the Wilber-Clatonia Public Schools district.

While the school has faced challenges, there are some promising signs. Most notably, the current 8th-grade class is a standout, achieving English Language Arts proficiency rates (59.18%) that are close to the state average, and the school’s 8th-grade science scores (63.04% proficient) are nearly on par with the state, outperforming nearby Beatrice Middle School in this area. However, the 6th-grade class is struggling significantly, with only 39.58% proficient in ELA, creating a clear gap in performance between grade levels. The school also spends less per student ($12,418) than comparable schools like Crete Middle School ($16,293), which may be a factor in its overall performance.

A major concern is the school’s recent and dramatic decline in serving its students from low-income backgrounds, with its ranking for this group falling from the 79th percentile to the 28th percentile in just two years. This is a critical issue, especially since over a third of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. On a positive note, chronic absenteeism is improving, dropping from 18.7% to 14.3% over the past few years. The school’s ability to build on the success of its 8th-grade cohort while urgently addressing the needs of its younger and most vulnerable students will be key to its future.