Best Public Schools in Friend, NE

Summary:

The city of Friend, Nebraska is home to two schools - Friend Elementary School and Friend High Schools, both part of the Friend Public Schools district. While the elementary school has seen fluctuating performance, the high school stands out as a strong performer, ranking 30th out of 168 Nebraska high schools and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Friend High Schools has made significant improvements in recent years, climbing from rankings of 171st and 168th in 2018-2019 and 2017-2018 to its current 30th place. The school boasts an impressive 88.1% 4-year graduation rate and outperforms the state average on key test score metrics, including 62.5% proficiency in ACT English Language Arts and 75% proficiency in ACT Science. In contrast, Friend Elementary School currently holds a 2-star rating, though it had previously achieved a 4-star ranking in 2020-2021.

The data also reveals some interesting differences between the two schools. Friend High Schools spends significantly more per student ($26,459) compared to Friend Elementary School ($20,113), and has a lower student-teacher ratio of 9.3 versus 12.5 at the elementary level. However, the high school also has a higher free/reduced lunch rate of 28.85%, compared to 25.85% at the elementary school. Both schools face challenges with a relatively high chronic absenteeism rate of 21.1%.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking ()				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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Friend Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	501 Main St	Friend	68359	Saline County	Friend Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 947-2781	144	13	11.3	27.8%	135 (93.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.1%)								(n/a)	$20,113	$906	$15,941
Friend High Schools	Public	7-12	501 Main St	Friend	68359	Saline County	Friend Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 947-2781	98	12	8.4	25.5%	92 (93.9%)	1 (1.0%)	3 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.0%)	78.7	30^th of 168 public high schools	82.1%					(n/a)	$26,459	$44	$20,955

Cities Near Friend

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Dorchester	7.91 mi	2	143^rd
Exeter	9.22 mi	3
Milford	14.29 mi	2	89^th
Fairmont	16.28 mi	1	104^th
Crete	16.32 mi	6	190^th

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.