Best Public Schools in Central City, NE

Summary:

The Central City, Nebraska school district consists of three schools: Central City Elementary School, Central City High School, and Central City Middle School. The district serves students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and is part of the Central City Public Schools system.

Among the three schools, Central City High School stands out with exceptional academic performance, ranking 12th out of 168 Nebraska high schools and earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school boasts impressive test scores, with 80% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in ACT English Language Arts, 67.27% in ACT Mathematics, and 72.73% in ACT Science. Additionally, the school maintains a high 4-year graduation rate of 88.1%. Central City Middle School also demonstrates strong academic performance, ranking 29th out of 200 Nebraska middle schools and earning a 4-star rating. The school's students excel in NSCAS tests, with over 70% proficient or better in English Language Arts and Mathematics across grades 5-8, and 81.36% of 8th-grade students proficient or better in NSCAS Science.

While the schools in the Central City district generally perform well, they face some challenges. All three schools have a chronic absenteeism rate of 21.1%, which is an area of concern. Additionally, the schools serve a population with relatively high free/reduced lunch rates, ranging from 42.11% to 44.4%, suggesting that socioeconomic factors may impact the schools' performance. The district's spending per student also varies, with Central City High School spending the most at $24,487 per student and Central City Middle School spending the least at $16,181 per student.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central City High School	Public	9-12	1510 28th St	Central City	68826	Merrick County	Central City Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(308) 946-3086	237	22	10.5	38.4%	215 (90.7%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.7%)	87.5	12^th of 168 public high schools	92.9%		29.5	152^nd of 215 public high schools	29.3%	140	$24,487	$528	$19,242
Central City Middle School	Public	5-8	2815 17th Ave	Central City	68826	Merrick County	Central City Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(308) 946-3056	227	18	12.3	45.4%	207 (91.2%)	2 (0.9%)	13 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.2%)	79.3	29^th of 200 public middle schools	85.5%		68.7	66^th of 238 public middle schools	72.3%	37	$16,181	$527	$12,841
Central City Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1711 15th Ave	Central City	68826	Merrick County	Central City Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(308) 946-3057	317	23	13.7	47.6%	288 (90.9%)	7 (2.2%)	16 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	57.8	219^th of 428 public elementary schools	48.8%		61.8	179^th of 459 public elementary schools	61.0%	40	$17,640	$1,544	$13,388

Cities Near Central City

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Clarks	11.17 mi	1	103^rd
Polk	11.82 mi	1	76^th
Palmer	15.73 mi	2	118^th
Grand Island	16.59 mi	27	184^th
Hampton	16.9 mi	2

See the top NE Nebraska cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Nebraska Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.