The top reported proficiency rate is 85% in Science. The lowest is 69% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Hillrise Elementary School
Hillrise Elementary School is a regular public school in the Elkhorn area of Douglas County, Nebraska, serving students from prekindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of Elkhorn Public Schools, a growing suburban district that operates more than twenty schools across the western Omaha footprint. The school sits in a neighborhood that reflects the broader Elkhorn character: a mix of a historic downtown along Main Street and extensive residential subdivisions that expanded rapidly from the 1990s onward, many annexed by the then-independent village before Omaha ultimately annexed it. The area was struck by a severe tornado in 2024, a publicly reported event that shaped the current rebuilding context.
On state assessments, Hillrise delivers results that place it well above the midpoint among Douglas County districts in overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. Performance is strongest in reading and science. Reading proficiency rates across grades three through five are solid, with one grade level showing particularly high results. Science, administered at fifth grade, also posts strong numbers. Math proficiency is clearly above the county midpoint as well, though a parent may notice that the math results, while still good, are somewhat lower than the school's reading and science outcomes. The available test data comes from a single school year; no multi-year trend is available to show whether these results are improving or holding steady, so a family interested in trajectory may want to ask the school about year-over-year patterns.
The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial share of Hispanic students and smaller but present groups of Asian students, students who identify with two or more races, and Black students. About one in four students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a moderate level of economic diversity. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the records we reviewed; a family seeking information on special education or English language support should ask the school directly. The school is a standard elementary without charter or magnet designation, and its Title I status was not reported, so it is unclear whether it receives federal funds to support low-income students.
Housing in the school's zip code costs notably more than the Nebraska state average and more than the national median. Home values are well above typical for the region, and rents are elevated as well. This means the neighborhood around Hillrise is an expensive one, which likely shapes the peer environment and the resources available to the school through local property tax bases, though the district's funding structure is not detailed here. A family moving into the area should expect a competitive housing market, and the elevated costs may affect who is able to live within the attendance zone.
The district itself has been responsive to growth. A bond approved in 2023 funded two new elementary schools that opened in 2025, along with a middle school addition, a clear signal that the district is managing rising enrollment. The district also adopted a cell phone policy to limit use during the school day and launched a scholarship program for career and technical education at the high school level, though those policies affect older students more directly. For an elementary family, the most relevant district-level change is the expansion of elementary capacity, which may affect attendance boundaries or class sizes.
Hillrise Elementary offers a strong academic profile for its grade band, particularly in reading and science, within an affluent and growing suburban area. The school's performance is above average for the county, and its setting in an expensive housing market means the student body is likely to come from comparatively resourced households. Families who can manage the cost of living in this part of Elkhorn will find a school that is performing well on state measures, set in a district that is actively investing in facilities and policies.
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