Best public high schools in Nebraska
As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a ’96 commencement address at Wellesley College, “Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” If that’s the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.
It’s a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.4 million students enrolled in public pre-K-12 schools in fall 2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.
For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.
Stacker compiled a list of the 30 best public high schools in Nebraska using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students. School districts are provided when available; otherwise, the city is listed instead.
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#30. Bellevue West High School
– Location: Bellevue Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 1,562 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade B+
#29. Arcadia High School
– Location: Arcadia Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 47 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade B+
#28. High School at Syracuse
– Location: Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 203 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade B+
#27. Newman Grove High School
– Location: Newman Grove Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 63 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade B+
#26. Mitchell Secondary School
– Location: Mitchell Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 281 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade B+
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#25. Bennington Secondary School
– Location: Bennington Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 957 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade B+
#24. Seward High School
– Location: Seward Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 523 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade B+
#23. North Bend Central Junior/Senior High School
– Location: North Bend Central Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 231 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade B+
#22. Oakland Craig Senior High School
– Location: Oakland Craig Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 190 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade B+
#21. Chadron Senior High School
– Location: Chadron Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 298 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade B+
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#20. West Holt High School
– Location: West Holt Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 197 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A-
#19. Plainview Secondary School
– Location: Plainview Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 152 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A-
#18. Pender High School
– Location: Pender Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 169 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A-
#17. Lincoln Southeast High School
– Location: Lincoln Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 1,982 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A-
#16. Papillion La Vista Senior High School
– Location: Papillion-La Vista School District, NE
– Enrollment: 1,856 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A-
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#15. Crofton High School
– Location: Crofton Community Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 172 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A-
#14. Papillion La Vista South High School
– Location: Papillion-La Vista School District, NE
– Enrollment: 1,958 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A-
#13. Perkins County Junior/Senior High School
– Location: Perkins County Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 180 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A-
#12. Elmwood-Murdock Junior/Senior High School
– Location: Elmwood-Murdock Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 174 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A-
#11. Elkhorn North High School
– Location: Elkhorn Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 879 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A-
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#10. Cody-Kilgore High School
– Location: Cody-Kilgore Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 47 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A-
#9. High School at Johnson
– Location: Johnson-Brock Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 142 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A-
#8. Wood River Rural High School
– Location: Wood River Rural Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 144 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A-
#7. Westside High School
– Location: Westside Community Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 2,039 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A-
#6. Southwest High School
– Location: Lincoln Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 2,199 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A
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#5. Elkhorn High School
– Location: Elkhorn Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 740 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A
#4. Millard West High School
– Location: Millard Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 2,299 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A
#3. Lincoln East High School
– Location: Lincoln Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 2,251 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A
#2. Elkhorn South High School
– Location: Elkhorn Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 1,437 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A
#1. Millard North High School
– Location: Millard Public Schools, NE
– Enrollment: 2,575 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A
This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
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By Stacker
