Best Public Schools in Ponca, NE

The city of Ponca, Nebraska is home to two public schools that serve students from elementary through high school: Ponca High School and Ponca Elementary School, which are part of the Ponca Public Schools district. While both schools demonstrate solid academic performance, Ponca High School stands out as an exceptional institution, consistently ranking among the top 19 high schools in Nebraska and earning a prestigious 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ponca High School students significantly outperform the state averages in ACT/ELA, ACT/Math, and NSCAS/ELA and Math assessments, with proficiency rates well above 60%. The school also boasts a low free and reduced lunch rate of 19.47%, suggesting a relatively affluent student population. Additionally, Ponca High School maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 10.2, which may contribute to its strong academic outcomes.

While Ponca Elementary School does not stand out as strongly as the high school, it still performs well compared to state averages, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and proficiency rates above the state average in most NSCAS assessments. The elementary school has a higher free and reduced lunch rate of 28.8%, indicating a more economically diverse student population. Both schools in the Ponca Public Schools district demonstrate a commitment to providing quality education, with similar per-student spending and favorable student-teacher ratios.