SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5

FAIRFIELD, Nebraska — 8 schools

714
Total Enrollment
8
Schools
$20,065
Per-Pupil Spending
Other, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5 operates 8 public schools serving 714 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Nebraska. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 other, 2 high, 2 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 714 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Clay County County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $20,065 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 74.9% local, 14.6% state, and 10.5% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $100,942 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 53/100, ranked #87 of 200 in Nebraska against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.

a 382.9:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 19.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Use the school table below to drill into any individual campus for its own demographic and resource profile.

Sandy Creek Elementary School accounts for 29.3% of all SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5 student enrollment

That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: other. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5 school enrollment varies 6.3× across entities

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5 school enrollment ranges from 33 students (lowest) to 209 students (highest), a spread of 176 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio — most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5 student-counselor ratio is 383:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment — districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5 chronic absenteeism rate is 19.0% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason — illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5 is typically wider than the SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

10.5%
Federal
14.6%
State
74.9%
Local

Funding Equity

53
Equity Score
87 / 200
State Rank
50
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Local Rent Costs

Fair Market Rents in Clay County county, where this district is located.

$666
Studio/mo
$759
1 BR/mo
$961
2 BR/mo
$1,152
3 BR/mo
$1,304
4 BR/mo

Average Teacher Salary

$100,942
Average annual teacher salary

Source: NCES CCD F-33 (Finance Survey).

Teacher salary data from NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.

Programs & Resources

382.9:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
19.0%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5

Nearby Districts in Nebraska

Top districts in the same state — compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

OMAHA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
51,754 students · 111 schools · $17,584/pupil
Compare vs SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5 →
LINCOLN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
41,850 students · 76 schools · $14,943/pupil
Compare vs SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5 →
MILLARD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
23,637 students · 36 schools · $13,267/pupil
Compare vs SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5 →
ELKHORN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
11,319 students · 20 schools · $13,062/pupil
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Compare SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs OMAHA PUBLIC SCHOOLS →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5?

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5 has 8 schools, including 4 other, 2 high, 2 middle. Total enrollment is 714 students.

How much does SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5 spend per student?

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5 spends $20,065 per student. The district has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #87 in Nebraska.

What is the average teacher salary in SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5?

The average teacher salary in SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5 is $100,942 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.

What is the average rent near SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5?

The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Clay County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.

What is the equity score for SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5?

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNIFIED 5 has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #87 out of 200 districts in Nebraska. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.

Federal data Last updated 2026 Free public data

Coverage

50 states + DC

Full national footprint

Update cadence

Quarterly

Refreshed within 30 days of upstream release

Source agency

Federal

Authoritative data, no third-party aggregation

Page reliability score 94.0%
Industry baseline

Composite score weighing source authority, update freshness, and methodological transparency. 1.0 = full federal-source coverage with documented methodology and recent update.