Douglas Co West Elementary Sch, Valley NE

Original Research by School Decision on Douglas Co West Elementary Sch

Douglas County West Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Valley, a small city west of Omaha situated near the Platte River. The school is part of the Douglas County West Community Schools district, which was formed by a merger of the former Valley and Waterloo public school districts. Valley itself has seen steady growth in recent years, with a largely white population and home values that run well above state and national averages. The local economy includes the National Weather Service office and the school district itself as notable employers, and the city maintains a traditional downtown layout where the school campus sits along Pine Street, near city hall.

The elementary school enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with a smaller Hispanic population and small numbers of students identifying as two or more races, Black, or American Indian. Roughly one-third of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a rate that indicates a moderate level of economic need.

Academically, the school presents a mixed picture. State assessment results for the most recent school year show significant variation across subjects. In mathematics, none of the tested students in grades three, four, or five met the state proficiency standard. This result is unusually low and stands in sharp contrast to the other tested subjects. In English language arts, fourth graders performed substantially better than fifth graders, with a majority of fourth graders reaching proficiency but only a smaller share of fifth graders doing the same. Science results were notably stronger, with a very large share of fifth graders meeting the proficiency standard.

When placed alongside other districts in Douglas County, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades falls in the bottom quarter. The math results are the primary driver of this weak showing, and a parent interested in this school would likely want to ask the school directly about the math curriculum, interventions, and support available to students across the elementary grades. The discrepancy between very low math scores and strong science performance is unusual and may warrant a closer look at instructional approach or assessment conditions.

No trend data beyond the current year is available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent a sudden change or a consistent pattern. The district itself has no recent parent-relevant changes reported in the available materials.

For a family considering this school, the setting offers a small-town feel with connections to the Omaha area, a recently consolidated district, and a school building located near the downtown core. The academic picture, however, is uneven. The math results are a clear area of concern, while science stands out as a strength. A parent should weigh those findings alongside the school’s moderate poverty rate and the broader community’s above-average income levels, which suggest that the school may serve a mix of family backgrounds despite the community’s overall affluence.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 30%

School 0% · District 65% · ▼ 65 pts below district

even with state median · even with county median

Grade 40%

School 0% · District 66% · ▼ 66 pts below district

even with state median · even with county median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 61% · ▼ 61 pts below district

even with state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 30%

School 0% · District 62% · ▼ 62 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 467%

School 67% · District 61% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 63% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 41 pts above county median

Science

Grade 583%

School 83% · District 82%

▲ 83 pts above state median · ▲ 83 pts above county median

This schoolDOUGLAS CO WEST COMMUNITY SCHS, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income46%Higher-income80%34 pp gap