The top reported proficiency rate is 63% in Science. The lowest is 55% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Westridge Middle School
Westridge Middle School sits on the west side of Grand Island, Nebraska, serving sixth through eighth graders in the Grand Island Public Schools district. It is a regular public school, neither a charter nor a magnet, and it pulls its roughly 624 students from the surrounding residential neighborhoods and the broader west Grand Island area.
Academically, the school’s performance on the Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System shows an uneven profile. In mathematics, proficiency rates vary noticeably by grade level, with the strongest results in sixth grade, a dip in seventh grade, and a partial rebound in eighth grade. English language arts follows a similar pattern: sixth and eighth graders score higher than seventh graders, where proficiency falls some. Eighth grade science results place that subject slightly ahead of the school’s own math and ELA averages. Looking across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint among the four districts in Hall County. A parent comparing middle schools in the area will find Westridge’s academic picture softer than some of its county neighbors.
The student body is majority white, with a substantial Hispanic population and small shares of black, Asian, and multiracial students. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a community with a notable proportion of lower-income households. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available in the published records, so a parent who wants to understand special education or language support services should inquire directly with the school.
Because Westridge is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data and discipline records were also absent from the information reviewed, which means a parent looking for those metrics will need to ask the school or district.
Grand Island itself shapes the experience of families who send children here. The city is a mid-sized regional hub anchored by agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, and retail. Major employers include Hornady, CHI Health St. Francis Hospital, and the Union Pacific Railroad freight hub. The local economy is stable, and the city has seen ongoing investment, including a new regional medical center opened a few years ago and the relocation of the Nebraska State Fair to town. Housing in the zip code covering Westridge is the area of about 285,000 dollars, slightly above the state median, and rents have been rising noticeably. The city has no fixed-route public transit; the entire system is demand-responsive and requires advance reservations. A family without reliable car access will find this challenging. The downtown Railside district offers a more walkable pocket of restaurants and entertainment, but for daily life the city is auto-dependent.
The Grand Island Public Schools district recently added capacity by opening Starr Elementary School, a new building that may shift attendance boundaries and affect which students feed into Westridge. A parent moving to the area should check current feeder patterns, as new schools can change longstanding attendance zones.
Westridge Middle School is a straightforward option for families in west Grand Island. Its academic results are mixed relative to other county middle schools, with notable dips in seventh grade that a parent may want to explore with the school. The student population is economically diverse and the setting is a working city with solid employment and an ongoing growth trajectory. The school does not appear to offer specialized magnet programs, and its overall academic profile sits toward the lower end of the county range. A parent who values strong test scores or wants a clear upward trend might look more closely at those numbers before enrolling.
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