Can I use Clay County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Clay County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Clay County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Clay County?

Start with the 9 listed public schools and 3 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Clay County Schools & Education

Name: Clay County, Nebraska Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Clay County, Nebraska

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

86/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Higher Signal

Graduation Rate

93.7%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

93.7%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 86.9%

Per-Pupil Spending

$10,952

National avg $13,239

State avg $10,521

School Score

86/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 64/100

State Score Position

of 93 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Clay County

Measured School Summary

Clay County has a higher measured school signal with a school score of 86/100 and a graduation rate of 93.7%, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-score inputs.

Funding Context

Clay County spends $10,952 per student, which is on the lower end of adequate and may require careful resource allocation to maintain quality.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 34% above the Nebraska average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 6.8 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 4% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Clay County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

9 public schools and 3 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

86/100

Higher measured signal. Ranks #8 of 93 Nebraska counties with school score data.

Completion

93.7%

6.8 pts above the state average

Funding context

$10,952

$431 above the state average

School coverage

3 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county screens well on the combined school metrics available here. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Clay County has 9 public schools across 3 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Clay County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Dominant-district county

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5 carries most of the listed public-school system, with 8 of 9 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.

State position

of 93 Nebraska counties with school score data. The county score is 22 points above the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5

Elementary to high school visible

478 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 1Other 1

4 listed schools in this county slice.

SUTTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Elementary and high visible

420 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 0

2 listed schools in this county slice.

HARVARD PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Elementary to high school visible

207 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 1Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5 is the largest listed district slice, with 8 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Clay County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Clay County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Education Overview

About Schools in Clay County, Nebraska

This context is screened for neutral school-data wording and should be read alongside the current metrics on this page. It is not school advice.

Small-Scale Learning Across Clay County

Clay County operates 9 public schools across three districts, serving a total student population of 1,105. The landscape includes three elementary schools, two middle schools, three high schools, and one specialized facility. This rural-focused system provides a high level of individual attention for every enrolled student.

Unified Districts and Local Champions

South Central Nebraska Unified 5 is the largest district, managing eight schools and 714 students across the region. Sutton Public Schools follows with 420 students, while Harvard Public Schools serves a smaller group of 207 students. There are no charter schools in the county, ensuring all 1,105 students benefit from traditional public school resources.

A Purely Rural Educational Experience

Every single school in Clay County is classified as rural, offering a consistent and quiet learning environment for students. Sutton Elementary is the largest school with 240 students, followed by Sandy Creek Elementary with 209. With an average school size of only 123 students, teachers can provide highly personalized instruction.

School Overview

Total Schools

in Clay County

Reported Enrollment

1,105

9 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary3

Middle2

High3

Other1

3 School Districts in Clay County

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5

8 schools

714 students

SUTTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

2 schools

420 students

HARVARD PUBLIC SCHOOLS

3 schools

207 students

9 Public Schools in Clay County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 9 of 9 matching schools

Public schools in Clay County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
SUTTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	SUTTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS	SUTTON, 68979Rural: Remote	PK–6	Primary	240
SANDY CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5	FAIRFIELD, 68938Rural: Remote	PK–5	Primary	209
SUTTON SECONDARY SCHOOL	Record	SUTTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS	SUTTON, 68979Rural: Remote	7–12	High	180
SANDY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL	Record	SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5	FAIRFIELD, 68938Rural: Remote	9–12	High	110
HARVARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	HARVARD PUBLIC SCHOOLS	HARVARD, 68944Rural: Distant	PK–5	Primary	97
SANDY CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL	Record	SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5	FAIRFIELD, 68938Rural: Remote	6–8	Middle	96
CLAY CO LEARNING CENTER - FAIRFIELD	Record	SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5	FAIRFIELD, 68938Rural: Remote	PK	Other	63
HARVARD HIGH SCHOOL	Record	HARVARD PUBLIC SCHOOLS	HARVARD, 68944Rural: Distant	9–12	High	56
HARVARD MIDDLE SCHOOL	Record	HARVARD PUBLIC SCHOOLS	HARVARD, 68944Rural: Distant	6–8	Middle	54

SUTTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SUTTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

SUTTON, 68979 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–6Primary240 students

SANDY CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5

FAIRFIELD, 68938 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–5Primary209 students

SUTTON SECONDARY SCHOOL

SUTTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

SUTTON, 68979 / Rural: Remote

Record7–12High180 students

SANDY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5

FAIRFIELD, 68938 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High110 students

HARVARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

HARVARD PUBLIC SCHOOLS

HARVARD, 68944 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary97 students

SANDY CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5

FAIRFIELD, 68938 / Rural: Remote

Record6–8Middle96 students

CLAY CO LEARNING CENTER - FAIRFIELD

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5

FAIRFIELD, 68938 / Rural: Remote

RecordPKOther63 students

HARVARD HIGH SCHOOL

HARVARD PUBLIC SCHOOLS

HARVARD, 68944 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High56 students

HARVARD MIDDLE SCHOOL

HARVARD PUBLIC SCHOOLS

HARVARD, 68944 / Rural: Distant

Record6–8Middle54 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$10,952

State avg $10,521

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Clay County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Nebraska counties have the highest graduation rates?

Washington County (96.3%), Seward County (96.2%), and Keith County (95.4%) currently lead Nebraska among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Nebraska?

Across Nebraska counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $10,521. The highest current county values are Wheeler County ($19,491), Sioux County ($18,861), and Loup County ($18,703). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Clay County?

Clay County has a school score of 86/100, which is a higher measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Clay County?

The high school graduation rate in Clay County is 93.7%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Clay County spend per student?

Clay County spends $10,952 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools in Clay County, Nebraska — FAQ

What does the school system look like in Clay County, Nebraska?

What are the major school districts in Clay County, Nebraska?

What is the school experience like in Clay County?

Counties with Similar School Profile

Butler County

Nebraska

+0 pts

86/100

School score

Merrick County

Nebraska

+0 pts

86/100

School score

Stanton County

Nebraska

+1 pts

87/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated May 13, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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