Nebraska, the vast, agriculturally-rich Great Plains state dividing the eastern and western parts of the country, is a quiet heavyweight in public education: the Cornhusker State ranks fifth nationwide in high school graduation rate, according to the latest survey by U.S. News & World Report.

The best public school district in Nebraska is Bennington Public Schools, serving the small town of Bennington, NE. Comprising three elementaries, a middle school, and a high school, the district exceeds statewide standards in nearly every measure.

Elkhorn Public Schools, based in the western part of the Omaha metro area, ranks #2 in the state. On account of its reputation as excellent school system with a high graduation rate, enrollment in EPS schools has grown by more than 6% with each year.

Placing third is Norris School District #160, whose four schools serve the communities of Lancaster County, NE. The district is small and rural-based, but is growing steadily with an eye towards the future: Norris was recently one of the first few hundred schools around the globe to be a Google Reference District.

At #4 is Stapleton Public Schools, another modestly-sized district with a hardworking, high achieving student body. U.S. News and World Report recently bestowed Stapleton High School with a bronze medal due to students’ high proficiency in math and English.

Rounding out the top five is Millard Public Schools, headquartered in southwest Omaha, NE. Much larger than the districts before it in the ranking, Millard’s standard of excellence has been recognized for a long time running; 13 of its schools have been honored with the Blue Ribbon Award.

Top School Districts in Nebraska, 2018

State RankSchool DistrictState
1Bennington Public SchoolsNebraska
2Elkhorn Public SchoolsNebraska
3Norris School Dist 160Nebraska
4Stapleton Public SchoolsNebraska
5Millard Public SchoolsNebraska
6Westside Community SchoolsNebraska
7Milford Public SchoolsNebraska
8Diller-Odell Public SchoolsNebraska
9Wallace Public Sch Dist 65 RNebraska
10Fort Calhoun Community SchsNebraska
11Lincoln Public SchoolsNebraska
12Gretna Public SchoolsNebraska
13Arlington Public SchoolsNebraska
14Douglas Co West Community SchsNebraska
15Holdrege Public SchoolsNebraska
16Palmyra District O R 1Nebraska
17North Bend Central Public SchsNebraska
18Hemingford Public SchoolsNebraska
19Elmwood-Murdock Public SchoolsNebraska
20Ashland-Greenwood Public SchsNebraska
21Yutan Public SchoolsNebraska
22Heartland Community SchoolsNebraska
23Sterling Public SchoolsNebraska
24Pierce Public SchoolsNebraska
25Papillion-La Vista Public SchsNebraska
26Creighton Community Public SchoolsNebraska
27Ord Public SchoolsNebraska
28Burwell Public SchoolsNebraska
29Mc Cool Junction Public SchsNebraska
30Hartington Public SchoolsNebraska
31Pleasanton Public SchoolsNebraska
32Logan View Public SchoolsNebraska
33Springfield Platteview Community SchoolsNebraska
34Mitchell Public SchoolsNebraska
35Conestoga Public SchoolsNebraska
36Cambridge Public SchoolsNebraska
37Osmond Community SchoolsNebraska
38Auburn Public SchoolsNebraska
39Malcolm Public SchoolsNebraska
40Cross County Community SchoolsNebraska
41Sidney Public SchoolsNebraska
42Kearney Public SchoolsNebraska
43Blair Community SchoolsNebraska
44Gothenburg Public SchoolsNebraska
45Arapahoe Public SchoolsNebraska
46West Holt Public SchoolsNebraska
47Sutton Public SchoolsNebraska
48Bertrand Public SchoolsNebraska
49Fillmore Central Public SchsNebraska
50Raymond Central Public SchoolsNebraska
51Laurel-Concord Public SchoolsNebraska
52Waverly School District 145Nebraska
53Adams Central Public SchoolsNebraska
54York Public SchoolsNebraska
55Wahoo Public SchoolsNebraska
56Pender Public SchoolsNebraska
57Chase County SchoolsNebraska
58Beatrice Public SchoolsNebraska
59Bloomfield Community SchoolsNebraska
60Seward Public SchoolsNebraska
61Creek Valley SchoolsNebraska
62Freeman Public SchoolsNebraska
63Centennial Public SchoolsNebraska
64David City Public SchoolsNebraska
65Randolph Public SchoolsNebraska
66Weeping Water Public SchoolsNebraska
67Wisner-Pilger Public SchoolsNebraska
68Wausa Public SchoolsNebraska
69Aurora Public SchoolsNebraska
70Mullen Public SchoolsNebraska
71Chadron Public SchoolsNebraska
72Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca SchoolsNebraska
73Leyton Public SchoolsNebraska
74Battle Creek Public SchoolsNebraska
75Wakefield Public SchoolsNebraska
76Morrill Public SchoolsNebraska
77Valentine Community SchoolsNebraska
78Mc Cook Public SchoolsNebraska
79Bridgeport Public SchoolsNebraska
80Louisville Public SchoolsNebraska
81Franklin Public SchoolsNebraska
82Columbus Public SchoolsNebraska
83Stanton Community SchoolsNebraska
84Broken Bow Public SchoolsNebraska
85Norfolk Public SchoolsNebraska
86Garden County SchoolsNebraska
87Tri County Public SchoolsNebraska
88Overton Public SchoolsNebraska
89Allen Consolidated SchoolsNebraska
90Johnson-Brock Public SchoolsNebraska
91Oakland Craig Public SchoolsNebraska
92Boone Central SchoolsNebraska
93Ponca Public SchoolsNebraska
94Alma Public SchoolsNebraska
95Osceola Public SchoolsNebraska
96Northwest Public SchoolsNebraska
97Hitchcock Co Sch SystemNebraska
98Bellevue Public SchoolsNebraska
99Crete Public SchoolsNebraska
100Superior Public SchoolsNebraska

Methodology

The following contributed to the ranking: student performance (math and reading test scores), dropout rates, school funding, and area poverty rates. Data was collected from a total of 9,577 school districts.

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