The top reported proficiency rate is 80% in Science. The lowest is 20% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Douglas Co West Middle School
Douglas County West Middle School serves roughly sixth through eighth grade in the small city of Valley, a community west of Omaha near the Platte River. The city has a traditional small-town feel with a downtown core, and the school is located on the main campus of the Douglas County West Community Schools district at the same address as the high school. The district was formed in the 2000s by a merger of the former Valley and Waterloo public schools, and the consolidation brought the middle and high school together on one campus. Valley itself is growing steadily, with new housing development that appears to be accommodating new families, and home values are relatively high for the state.
The school is small, with an enrollment that matches its grade band size. The student body is predominantly white, with a small Hispanic population and even smaller shares of students who are Asian, Black, or of two or more races. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing it in a middle range for economic need among its peers.
State testing results tell a mixed story. In English language arts, proficiency rates across the three grades landed in a range that is below the midpoint for schools in the state, with the sixth and seventh grade scores lower than the eighth grade score. Math results show a stark split: the seventh grade produced a rate that sits above the state average for that grade, while both sixth and eighth grades reported rates that were at floor level. Eighth grade science, by contrast, posted a very strong proficiency rate that stands out. Because the data covers only a single year, it is hard to tell whether the very low math scores in two grades are an anomaly tied to a specific cohort or reflect a broader pattern. A parent may want to ask the school about the math results for sixth and eighth graders and whether any interventions are in place.
Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among districts in Douglas County. That comparison set counts 16 districts in the county, and the school’s index is at the low end of the range. The district does not report a graduation rate because the school serves only middle grades, and chronic absenteeism data was not available.
Program offerings, course access, and staffing data were not provided, so there is no information on whether the school offers advanced coursework, electives, arts, or extracurriculars. Civil rights data, such as discipline rates or special education counts, was also absent. The district brief turned up no major recent changes, facility updates, or policy shifts that would affect a family’s decision.
The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and Title I status was not reported. The community context shows a small city that is economically above average for Nebraska, with a National Weather Service office as a notable federal employer and the school district itself as a major local employer. Walkability is likely limited to the immediate downtown and campus area, and most residents rely on cars.
For a family considering this school, the key takeaway is a middle school with a rural-small-town character, a consolidated campus, and a student body that is mostly white with a moderate share of low-income students. Academically, it has a clear strength in eighth grade science, a solid seventh grade math result, and notable soft spots in sixth and eighth grade math as well as in sixth grade English. Because the school does not serve high school grades, a family would need to look at the Douglas County West high school separately for longer-term planning. The lack of data on programming and student support means that these are natural questions to raise directly with the school.
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