Is School Middle School a good school?

School Middle School ranks 149 th of 200 Nebraska middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend School Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 926 students attended School Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of School Middle School?

Students at School Middle School are 61% White, 13% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 9% African American, 6% Asian.

What high school do graduates of School Middle School attend?

Students who attend School Middle School usually go on to attend North Star High School

School Middle School

Summary:

School Middle School is a public middle school in Lincoln, Nebraska, serving 917 students in grades 6-8. It is part of the Lincoln Public Schools district, which is ranked 130 out of 182 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Over the past 10 years, School Middle School's statewide ranking has fluctuated, ranging from 65th to 171st out of Nebraska's middle schools, with a current ranking of 149th and a 1-star rating. The school faces several challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, generally below-average test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science, and significant disparities in performance across different student subgroups. For example, the school ranks highly for African American and English Language Learner students, but struggles with Multi-racial, Special Education, and Low Socioeconomic Status students.

When compared to nearby middle schools in the Lincoln Public Schools district, School Middle School generally performs worse on key metrics such as test scores and chronic absenteeism. Additionally, the school's spending per student, ranging from $11,695 to $12,727 over the past few years, is lower than the spending at some nearby schools, such as Culler Middle School ($16,377) and Dawes Middle School ($18,565), which may be a contributing factor to its relatively weaker academic performance.

Detail:

Public 6-8

700 Penrose Drive
Lincoln, NE 68521-8912

(402) 436-1222

District: Lincoln Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
149^th of 200 Nebraska Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,656

Students who attend School Middle School usually attend:

High:

North Star High School

Feeder schools for School Middle School:

Elementary:	Arnold Elementary School
	Fredstrom Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 14.4

Number of students: 926

Racial breakdown:

White:

61.2%

Hispanic:

12.6%

Two or more races:

11.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 48.3%

See top rated Nebraska middle schools

Compare School Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details School Middle School ranks worse than 74.5% of middle schools in Nebraska. It also ranks 8^th among 12 ranked middle schools in the Lincoln Public Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 34.56. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (61.2%), Hispanic (12.6%), two or more races (11.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 48.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at School Middle School is 14.4. 7 middle schools in the Lincoln Public Schools District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare School Middle School employs 64.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at School Middle School is $12,656. 9 middle schools in the Lincoln Public Schools District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

School Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks School Middle School 149^th of 200 Nebraska public middle schools. (See School Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Lincoln Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Lincoln Public Schools 130^th of 182 Nebraska school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for School Middle School

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Rank History for all students at School Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NE State Percentile
2010	35.39	201^st	254	20.9%
2011	44.97	158^th	246	35.8%
2012	42.38	168^th	255	34.1%
2013	49.99	130^th	248	47.6%
2014	45.52	145^th	252	42.5%
2015	55.79	111^th	256	56.6%
2016	54.56	119^th	255	53.3%
2017	54.94	105^th	236	55.5%
2018	66.10	65^th	225	71.1%
2019	58.71	92^nd	247	62.8%
2021	52.77	109^th	223	51.1%
2022	43.89	145^th	249	41.8%
2023	36.26	171^st	238	28.2%
2024	34.56	149^th	200	25.5%

See the entire list of Nebraska Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at School Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NE State Percentile
2018	58.29	7^th	17	58.8%
2019	57.15	7^th	20	65.0%
2021	39.46	11^th	17	35.3%
2022	37.35	17^th	28	39.3%
2023	30.70	20^th	29	31.0%
2024	16.39	16^th	16	0.0%

See the entire list of Best Nebraska Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at School Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NE State Percentile
2021	71.53	7^th	27	74.1%
2023	84.37	3^rd	35	91.4%
2024	81.30	2^nd	22	90.9%

See the entire list of Best Nebraska Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at School Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NE State Percentile
2018	54.90	15^th	44	65.9%
2019	35.57	32^nd	52	38.5%
2022	23.77	36^th	46	21.7%
2023	26.79	47^th	70	32.9%
2024	10.97	29^th	32	9.4%

See the entire list of Best Nebraska Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at School Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NE State Percentile
2018	63.77	40^th	120	66.7%
2019	49.61	68^th	123	44.7%
2021	40.98	72^nd	115	37.4%
2022	36.15	82^nd	118	30.5%
2023	39.60	99^th	144	31.3%
2024	40.38	55^th	92	40.2%

See the entire list of Best Nebraska Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at School Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NE State Percentile
2018	71.91	27^th	147	81.6%
2019	58.19	62^nd	156	60.3%
2021	51.59	74^th	137	46.0%
2022	43.43	92^nd	150	38.7%
2023	43.39	90^th	146	38.4%
2024	46.81	57^th	106	46.2%

See the entire list of Best Nebraska Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at School Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NE State Percentile
2018	57.68	62^nd	141	56.0%
2019	54.98	73^rd	153	52.3%
2021	50.33	68^th	144	52.8%
2022	42.99	98^th	160	38.8%
2023	32.76	116^th	156	25.6%
2024	33.06	76^th	106	28.3%

See the entire list of Best Nebraska Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at School Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NE State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	53.00	7^th	15	53.3%
2023	56.10	8^th	18	55.6%

See the entire list of Best Nebraska Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at School Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NE State Percentile
2019	78.31	6^th	24	75.0%
2021	87.36	2^nd	18	88.9%
2022	66.86	7^th	24	70.8%
2023	61.07	12^th	30	60.0%

See the entire list of Best Nebraska Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at School Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NE State Percentile
2018	67.55	13^th	56	76.8%
2019	54.37	22^nd	62	64.5%
2021	53.05	25^th	59	57.6%
2022	48.84	29^th	61	52.5%
2023	54.79	31^st	67	53.7%
2024	44.19	35^th	56	37.5%

See the entire list of Best Nebraska Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at School Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NE State Percentile
2018	67.11	55^th	203	72.9%
2019	59.50	77^th	222	65.3%
2021	55.61	80^th	204	60.8%
2022	46.43	125^th	234	46.6%
2023	41.33	130^th	217	40.1%
2024	39.95	89^th	141	36.9%

See the entire list of Best Nebraska Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Nebraska Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Nebraska Department of Education

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Enrollment information for School Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2010	563	68	15	66	11	n/a	n/a	723
2011	586	47	18	79	7	0	40	777
2012	569	37	18	87	8	0	47	766
2013	528	38	28	91	8	1	50	744
2014	531	42	23	115	9	0	58	778
2015	563	34	24	95	10	0	67	793
2016	588	34	17	102	13	0	57	811
2017	609	36	27	91	13	0	60	836
2018	624	44	30	93	9	0	62	862
2019	611	39	33	95	5	0	77	860
2020	640	44	33	111	4	0	85	917
2021	601	54	35	118	5	0	102	915
2022	581	65	46	114	4	1	102	913
2023	533	79	56	132	4	0	113	917
2024	567	80	54	117	3	0	105	926

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at School Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2010	723	53.3	13.5	39.1
2011	777	54.4	14.2	42.5
2012	766	54.0	14.1	42.6
2013	744	50.3	14.7	41.5
2014	778	53.1	14.6	48.1
2015	793	53.0	14.9	43.5
2016	811	55.0	14.7	41.6
2017	836	56.2	14.8	43.5
2018	862	56.6	15.2	41.3
2019	860	59.0	14.5	42.9
2020	917	64.4	14.2	42.9
2021	915	65.7	13.9	41.4
2022	913	62.0	14.7	38.6
2023	917	61.1	14.9	n/a
2024	926	64.2	14.4	48.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio School Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2010	723	53.3	13.5	39.1
2011	777	54.4	14.2	42.5
2012	766	54.0	14.1	42.6
2013	744	50.3	14.7	41.5
2014	778	53.1	14.6	48.1
2015	793	53.0	14.9	43.5
2016	811	55.0	14.7	41.6
2017	836	56.2	14.8	43.5
2018	862	56.6	15.2	41.3
2019	860	59.0	14.5	42.9
2020	917	64.4	14.2	42.9
2021	915	65.7	13.9	41.4
2022	913	62.0	14.7	38.6
2023	917	61.1	14.9	n/a
2024	926	64.2	14.4	48.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for School Middle School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$312 (2.8%)	$9,769 (86.1%)	$11,343
2020	$247 (2.1%)	$10,238 (87.5%)	$11,695
2021	$380 (3.2%)	$10,328 (85.9%)	$12,029
2022	$1,180 (9.3%)	$9,931 (78.0%)	$12,727
2023	$1,067 (8.4%)	$9,891 (78.2%)	$12,656

Data source: Nebraska Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on School Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 92^nd of 247 Middle schools	Ranks 171^st of 238 Middle schools	34.6%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (School Middle School)	59	57	2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Lincoln Public Schools)	56	58	2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Nebraska)	49	55	6%
6th Grade Mathematics (School Middle School)	66	48	18%
6th Grade Mathematics (Lincoln Public Schools)	62	55	7%
6th Grade Mathematics (Nebraska)	55	57	2%
7th Grade English Language Arts (School Middle School)	55	50	5%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Lincoln Public Schools)	50	56	6%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Nebraska)	49	54	5%
7th Grade Mathematics (School Middle School)	56	61	5%
7th Grade Mathematics (Lincoln Public Schools)	53	67	14%
7th Grade Mathematics (Nebraska)	48	66	18%
8th Grade English Language Arts (School Middle School)	52	67	15%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Lincoln Public Schools)	53	64	11%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Nebraska)	50	62	12%
8th Grade Mathematics (School Middle School)	50	52	2%
8th Grade Mathematics (Lincoln Public Schools)	50	60	10%
8th Grade Mathematics (Nebraska)	47	61	14%
8th Grade Science (School Middle School)	57	62	5%
8th Grade Science (Lincoln Public Schools)	63	59	4%
8th Grade Science (Nebraska)	62	64	2%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	860	917	6.6%
African American	39	79	102.6%
American Indian	5	4	20%
Asian	33	56	69.7%
Hispanic	95	132	38.9%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	611	533	12.8%
Two or More Races	77	113	46.8%

Schools Near School Middle School

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
School Middle School	Public	6-8	700 Penrose Drive	Lincoln	68521	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1222	926	64	14.4	48.3%	567 (61.2%)	80 (8.6%)	117 (12.6%)	54 (5.8%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	105 (11.3%)	34.6	149^th of 200 public middle schools	25.5%		36.3	171^st of 238 public middle schools	28.2%	22	$12,656	$1,067	$9,891
Goodrich Middle School	Public	6-8	4600 Lewis Avenue	Lincoln	68521	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 436-1213	852	74	11.5	81.3%	371 (43.5%)	116 (13.6%)	226 (26.5%)	46 (5.4%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	88 (10.3%)	8.8	188^th of 200 public middle schools	6.0%		11.5	218^th of 238 public middle schools	8.4%	30	$14,814	$2,123	$11,142
Dawes Middle School	Public	6-8	5130 Colfax Street	Lincoln	68504	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 436-1211	396	39	10.1	76.5%	206 (52.0%)	45 (11.4%)	78 (19.7%)	14 (3.5%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	49 (12.4%)	14.1	182^nd of 200 public middle schools	9.0%		11.7	217^th of 238 public middle schools	8.8%	35	$18,565	$2,714	$12,997
Park Middle School	Public	6-8	855 S 8th St	Lincoln	68508	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 436-1212	784	67	11.7	72.8%	318 (40.6%)	100 (12.8%)	230 (29.3%)	64 (8.2%)	10 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (7.9%)	10.8	186^th of 200 public middle schools	7.0%		13.3	212^th of 238 public middle schools	10.9%	26	$15,853	$2,020	$11,693
Culler Middle School	Public	6-8	5201 Vine St	Lincoln	68504	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 436-1210	680	65	10.5	79.9%	288 (42.4%)	101 (14.9%)	173 (25.4%)	39 (5.7%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	74 (10.9%)	1.7	191^st of 200 public middle schools	4.5%		4.2	228^th of 238 public middle schools	4.2%	37	$16,377	$2,333	$12,077
Mickle Middle School	Public	6-8	2500 N 67th St	Lincoln	68507	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1216	702	46	15.1	49.3%	500 (71.2%)	31 (4.4%)	92 (13.1%)	12 (1.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (9.3%)	40.5	133^rd of 200 public middle schools	33.5%		57.9	108^th of 238 public middle schools	54.6%	25	$13,871	$1,043	$11,016
Lefler Middle School	Public	6-8	1100 S 48th St	Lincoln	68510	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 436-1215	611	47	12.9	64.8%	323 (52.9%)	59 (9.7%)	111 (18.2%)	32 (5.2%)	9 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	77 (12.6%)	36.3	142^nd of 200 public middle schools	29.0%		33	181^st of 238 public middle schools	23.9%	39	$15,584	$1,745	$11,887
Nuernberger Education Center	Public	6-8	1801 S 40th St	Lincoln	68506	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1255	0	13	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Middle School Student Support Program	Public	6-8	1801 South 40th Street	Lincoln	68506	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1694	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Irving Middle School	Public	6-8	2745 S 22nd St	Lincoln	68502	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1214	828	59	13.9	44.0%	526 (63.5%)	52 (6.3%)	121 (14.6%)	24 (2.9%)	6 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	98 (11.8%)	39.5	135^th of 200 public middle schools	32.5%		39.5	163^rd of 238 public middle schools	31.5%	28	$13,415	$894	$10,376

School Middle School

School Middle School:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Lincoln Public Schools:

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Rank History for School Middle School

Rank History for all students at School Middle School

Rank History for Multi-racial students at School Middle School

Rank History for English Language Learner students at School Middle School

Rank History for Special Education students at School Middle School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at School Middle School

Rank History for Female students at School Middle School

Rank History for Male students at School Middle School

Rank History for Asian students at School Middle School

Rank History for African American students at School Middle School

Rank History for Hispanic students at School Middle School

Rank History for White students at School Middle School

Enrollment information for School Middle School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at School Middle School

Student/Teacher Ratio School Middle School

Per Pupil Expenditures for School Middle School

Impact of COVID-19 on School Middle School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near School Middle School

Frequently Asked Questions about School Middle School

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