The top reported proficiency rate is 87% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Blue Sage Elementary
Blue Sage Elementary is a regular public school serving early childhood through fifth grade in the Elkhorn Public Schools district, located in the western Omaha neighborhood of Elkhorn. It is one of many elementary schools in a large and growing suburban district east of Omaha.
The school’s state test results present a picture of strong performance in two core subjects, alongside a result that requires clarification. In math, proficiency was very high across the tested grades. In English language arts, results were similarly strong, with most students meeting the state standard. However, in fifth-grade science, the proficiency rate was reported as zero. This stands in sharp contrast to the school’s own multi-year trend, which shows a prior history of very high science proficiency. A parent considering the school would want to ask whether this single-year science result reflects an assessment anomaly, a small cohort, or another factor, given that the rest of the academic profile is consistently high.
The student enrollment is moderate for an elementary school serving these grades. The student body is predominantly white, with the next largest groups being Asian and then students identifying as two or more races; Black and Hispanic students together make up a small share. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is very low, indicating a relatively affluent community. Data on special education and English learner populations was not reported, so a family seeking information on those supports would need to ask the school directly.
Housing in the Elkhorn area is expensive, with home values well above the state median and rents also elevated. This reflects the area’s strong suburban demand and its character as a bedroom community within Omaha. The locale is a mix of a small historic downtown along Main Street and extensive residential subdivisions that were annexed in the 1990s and 2000s as Elkhorn tried to maintain its independence before eventually being absorbed by Omaha. In April 2024, an EF4 tornado struck the area, damaging or destroying hundreds of homes and businesses, which is shaping ongoing rebuilding and development.
The district itself has been responding to rapid enrollment growth. In November 2023, voters approved a substantial bond that funded two new elementary schools and an addition to a middle school, all of which opened in August 2025. That means families moving into the area will find newer facilities and potentially adjusted attendance boundaries. The district also implemented an updated cell phone policy aimed at protecting student mental health and instructional time, a change that affects the daily school experience. For families with an eye toward the future, the district has also launched a new scholarship pathway for high school students completing career and technical education coursework, in partnership with Metro Community College.
Compared with other districts in Douglas County, Blue Sage Elementary’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades falls below the midpoint of the county cohort. However, that index is an average that includes the anomalous science result, so it understates the school’s performance in math and ELA, which are clearly very high. The school does not serve grades where graduation rate or chronic absenteeism data are reported.
Blue Sage Elementary fits a family seeking a school with strong foundational academics in reading and math, located in an affluent, fast-growing suburban area with a small-town character. The science result is a notable question mark that the school should be able to address directly. The overall peer environment is one of very low economic diversity, and the housing market is a significant barrier for any family not already well established in the area. The district’s recent investments in capacity signal that growth is expected to continue, and the school itself appears to be part of a system that is actively managing that growth.
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