NCES CCD 2024-25 155 schools NE

Best-Resourced Schools in Omaha, NE

155 public K-12 schools in Omaha from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.

155
Schools
88,106
Students
43.8/100
Avg Resource Index
15.8:1
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

National city placement

Large, fragmented school market

According to NCES CCD 2024-25, Omaha has more public-school enrollment than 99% of the 4,487 US cities in this directory. Omaha is among the largest city school systems in this directory by enrollment, but its campuses are divided among 8 districts. That combination matters: citywide averages blend separate budgets, staffing policies, attendance boundaries, and program rules. For a family comparing schools here, the district column is as important as the city average; two nearby campuses may answer to different boards and draw on different F-33 funding pools.

Combined-grade campuses shape the local portfolio

116 of Omaha's 155 listed schools use NCES's combined or “other” grade-level classification. Citywide averages therefore blend campuses serving unusually broad or nonstandard grade spans with conventional elementary, middle, and high schools. Grade configuration is a first-order comparison here, not a minor label.

Economic-need coverage is incomplete

Free-lunch eligibility is reported for schools covering 43.2% of Omaha's listed enrollment. Because the remaining enrollment is outside that calculation, the measured percentage should not be generalized to every local student. The Resource Investment Index uses other reported federal fields and has its own coverage limits. Treat the city figures as a map of available records: inspect a campus's source fields before using economic need or resource position in a comparison.

City enrollment
Top 1%
School count
Top 1%
Resource Index average
64th percentile
Teacher staffing
45th percentile

Omaha school enrollment varies 235× across entities

Omaha school enrollment ranges from 11 students (lowest) to 2,587 students (highest), a spread of 2,576 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing and program breadth can differ sharply at opposite ends of that enrollment range, so the city average should not be treated as a typical campus.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Omaha operates 8 school districts — among the most fragmented governance structures in the country

Each school district has independent budgeting, hiring, and service delivery authority. The fragmentation reflects historical patterns of inter-municipal boundary lines that pre-date modern city growth, students in different parts of the same city can attend different districts with different per-pupil spending, calendars, and graduation requirements. Per-region variation is largest in fragmented systems because each school district sets its own budget, contracts, and priorities without higher-level coordination above the regulatory floor.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Omaha student-teacher ratio is 15.8:1 — near the typical range (US average ~15.7) — citywide staffing is neither unusually lean nor unusually crowded by this measure

student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Variation between sub-units within Omaha is typically wider than the Omaha-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe

# School Score
1. Prairie Lane Elementary School 70
2. Rockbrook Elementary School 67
3. Oakdale Elementary School 66
4. Sunset Hills Elementary School 64
5. Carl a Swanson Elementary Sch 64
6. Loveland Elementary School 64
7. Omaha Public Schools Homebased 61
8. Wilson Focus School 58
9. Catlin Magnet Center 58
10. Westmont Elementary School 56
11. Columbian Elementary School 56
12. Bryan High School 55
13. Kellom Elementary School 55
14. Elkhorn South High School 54
15. Aspen Creek Elementary School 54
16. West Bay Elementary School 54
17. Paddock Road Elementary School 54
18. Jackson Elementary School 54
19. Russell Middle School 53
20. Falling Waters Elementary School 53
21. Hillside Elementary School 53
22. Early Childhood Center at Gateway 53
23. South High School 52
24. Burke High School 52
25. Elkhorn North Ridge Middle School 52
26. Holling Heights Elem School 52
27. Westgate Elementary School 52
28. Oak Valley Elementary School 52
29. Northwest High School 51
30. Palisades Elementary School 51
31. Bryan Elementary School 51
32. Manchester Elementary School 50
33. Upchurch Elementary 50
34. Picotte Elementary School 50
35. Chandler View Elementary School 50
36. Joslyn Elementary School 50
37. Masters Elementary School 50
38. Kiewit Middle School 49
39. Whitetail Creek Elementary 49
40. Pawnee Elementary School 49
41. Harrison Elementary School 49
42. Aspen Creek Middle School 48
43. Elkhorn Ridge Middle School 48
44. Sagewood Elementary School 48
45. Washington Elementary School 48
46. Sherman Elementary School 48
47. Benson High School 47
48. Elkhorn North High School 47
49. Westside Middle School 47
50. Spring Ridge Elementary 47

Showing top 50 of 155 schools.

Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Omaha

Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.

  1. 1 Dodge Elementary School 78.5/100
  2. 2 Benson West Elementary School 77.9/100
  3. 3 Masters Elementary School 77.2/100
  4. 4 Edison Elementary School 77.0/100
  5. 5 Boyd Elementary School 76.9/100

What do families ask about schools in Omaha?

Which Omaha school has the highest Resource Investment Index?

Prairie Lane Elementary School has the highest Resource Investment Index among the Omaha schools in this federal-data comparison at 70/100. The index summarizes reported staffing, counseling, gifted-program, and attendance inputs; it is not an academic rating.

How many schools are in Omaha, NE?

Omaha has 155 public schools with a total enrollment of 88,106 students. Average student-teacher ratio: 15.8:1.

Other Cities in Nebraska

Side-by-side: Compare any two schools or districts in Nebraska →

Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. The Resource Investment Index uses reported student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance; it is not an academic rating. Cities must include at least five schools to be listed. This public-data comparison is for informational purposes: verify current enrollment, attendance boundaries, and programs with the school district before acting. See the guide to understanding NCES data.