Enrollment
272
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Kearney, NE
Buffalo Hills Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Buffalo Hills Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 317239002265
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Buffalo Hills Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Nebraska median.
- #2 of 12
- schools in Kearney · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 14.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Buffalo Hills Elementary has class sizes near the Nebraska median. Computed live against every Nebraska school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Buffalo Hills Elementary ranks #2 of 12 schools in Kearney, NE.
School address
District: Kearney Public Schools · Nebraska
NCES ID 317239002265 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 13.5:1 Nebraska avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.9%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
-52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buffalo Hills Elementary compares with Nebraska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Buffalo Hills Elementary
Buffalo Hills Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Kearney, Nebraska, enrolling 272 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Nebraska schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 14.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 272 students, its enrollment sits close to the Nebraska median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,003 scored Nebraska schools.
Among 144 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Nebraska schools statewide, it ranks #113, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 21/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 340 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.4% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Kearney Public Schools spends $11,003 per pupil, 38% below the Nebraska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Kearney Public Schools also operates Kearney High School (1,663 students) and Horizon Middle School (648 students) alongside Buffalo Hills Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Buffalo Hills Elementary compares
Buffalo Hills Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Nebraska and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Nebraska | Nebraska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.3:1 | ▲ 6% | 13.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.9% | ▼ 52% | 30.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 272 | top 44% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
272
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
14.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% below the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 63% in Nebraska - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
7.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$11,003
per pupil, district-wide
- below Nebraska avg of $17,680
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.8 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 88.6%
Hispanic or Latino 7.0%
Two or More 3.7%
African American 0.4%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 88.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 20.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 20.9, Buffalo Hills Elementary is less mixed than the Nebraska school average of 34.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kearney Public Schools, which includes Buffalo Hills Elementary.
$11,003
Per student
-38%
vs Nebraska
Avg $17,680
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 67.2%
State 22.5%
Federal 10.2%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Buffalo Hills Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kearney High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Horizon Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sunrise Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Meadowlark Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kenwood Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Buffalo Hills Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,663
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 648
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 536
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 417
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 398
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Nebraska, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~272 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Buffalo Hills Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Buffalo Hills Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Kearney Public Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Buffalo Hills Elementary
How many students attend Buffalo Hills Elementary?
Buffalo Hills Elementary has 272 students enrolled. It is a public school in Kearney, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buffalo Hills Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Buffalo Hills Elementary is 14.3:1, which is 6% higher than the Nebraska average of 13.5:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Buffalo Hills Elementary?
14.9% of students at Buffalo Hills Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buffalo Hills Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Buffalo Hills Elementary is White at 88.6% of enrollment, in Kearney, NE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buffalo Hills Elementary?
Buffalo Hills Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Buffalo Hills Elementary rank among schools in Kearney?
By Resource Investment Index, Buffalo Hills Elementary ranks #2 of 12 schools in Kearney, NE. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Kearney on the city page.
Is Buffalo Hills Elementary a good school?
Buffalo Hills Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Nebraska median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Kearney Public Schools?
Besides Buffalo Hills Elementary, Kearney Public Schools also operates Kearney High School (1,663 students), Horizon Middle School (648 students), and Sunrise Middle School (536 students). See the Kearney Public Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.