Elkhorn Ridge Middle School, Omaha NE

Original Research by School Decision on Elkhorn Ridge Middle School

Elkhorn Ridge Middle School serves sixth through eighth grade in the Elkhorn Public Schools district, a fast-growing suburban system on Omaha’s western edge. The school is located in a part of Omaha that has seen strong recent housing appreciation, with home values and rents notably above the national median, reflecting a well-established, higher-cost suburb. The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial students, and a very small share of Black and Native American students. The percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is low, in line with the area’s affluence.

Academically, Elkhorn Ridge delivers consistently strong results on Nebraska’s state assessments. In math, proficiency rates climb across the grades, with the eighth-grade cohort posting an especially high rate. English language arts proficiency is solid and steady from grade to grade; about three-quarters of students in each tested grade meet the bar. Science, tested only in eighth grade, shows a very high proficiency rate. Taken together, the school’s overall proficiency across subjects and grades lands above the midpoint when compared with other districts in Douglas County. A multi-year trend in the data for the school shows a dip in the most recent year for both ELA and math after a higher point, which a parent may want to discuss with the school for context. The trend for science held nearly steady.

The school’s enrollment is moderate, with roughly even numbers across the three grades. No data was available on the share of students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or those classified as English learners, so it is not possible to speak to the school’s special education or language support offerings from the data provided. Civil rights data, chronic absenteeism rates, and graduation rate are not reported for a middle school.

The district has been managing rapid enrollment growth. Voters approved a bond to build two new elementary schools and add space to a middle school, all of which opened in the most recent year. That level of construction signals a district under pressure to keep pace with new housing development and family moves. For Elkhorn Ridge, this likely means stable or growing feeder enrollment in the near term. The district has also introduced a more restrictive cell phone policy during the school day, a change that affects the daily environment. A new career and technical education scholarship pathway with Metro Community College was launched for high school students, which points to a district-level investment in postsecondary options.

Omaha is a large city with a diversified economy anchored by several Fortune-ranked corporate headquarters. Elkhorn Ridge sits within the suburban reach of that economy, not in the denser downtown or older neighborhoods. The school offers a straightforward academic program aimed at strong proficiency outcomes, in a setting with low poverty concentrations and a largely college-bound peer group. Families considering the school should factor in the district’s growth trajectory, the high housing costs in the attendance area, and the lack of public data on special populations as areas to explore further with the school directly.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 665%

School 65% · District 80% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▲ 65 pts above state median · ▲ 65 pts above county median

Grade 776%

School 76% · District 87% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▲ 76 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 887%

School 87% · District 85% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 87 pts above state median · ▲ 48 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 674%

School 74% · District 84% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 773%

School 73% · District 85% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 73 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 874%

School 74% · District 86% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 74 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Science

Grade 892%

School 92% · District 91% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 92 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

This schoolELKHORN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, 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.