Sunrise Middle School, Kearney NE

Original Research by School Decision on Sunrise Middle School

Sunrise Middle School serves sixth through eighth graders in Kearney, Nebraska, as a regular public school within the Kearney Public Schools district. It sits in a city that blends residential neighborhoods, commercial corridors, and a university campus; the University of Nebraska at Kearney gives the area a college-town dimension alongside its role as a regional transportation hub on Interstate 80. The school’s enrollment is moderate for a middle school, drawing from across the community. A substantial share of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a notable level of economic diversity. Racially, the student body is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic population and smaller shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those support structures.

On state assessments, Sunrise’s results vary by subject and grade level. In math, proficiency rates rise across the grades: the sixth-grade cohort shows roughly half of students meeting the bar, seventh grade a bit more than half, and eighth grade about two-thirds. In English language arts, the pattern is similar but slightly lower overall: sixth and seventh grade each sit around half proficient, while eighth grade reaches just under three-fifths. Science is tested only in eighth grade, where roughly three-quarters of students are proficient. The school’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects places it in the bottom quarter when compared with other districts in Buffalo County. That is a soft spot; a family focused on academic metrics may want to look into how the school is addressing this relative standing.

No information was available on discipline rates, course access, staffing ratios, or attendance patterns, so those dimensions of school climate cannot be assessed here. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report.

Kearney itself has grown steadily over the decades, anchored by major employers such as Good Samaritan Hospital, the university, The Buckle clothing retailer, and several manufacturing firms. Housing values in the area are near the state average, and the local unemployment rate has been stable. The city’s built environment is mostly auto-oriented, though downtown offers some walkable pockets with breweries and performance venues. For a family considering this school, it is a middle school in a stable, mid-sized city with a college-town influence, serving a socioeconomically mixed population. The academic picture shows room for growth relative to neighboring districts, and the absence of data on special populations, staffing, and attendance means there are questions worth raising with the school directly.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 67% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▲ 50 pts above state median

Grade 754%

School 54% · District 64% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▲ 54 pts above state median

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 68% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 67 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 64% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▲ 44 pts above state median

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 67% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▲ 52 pts above state median

Grade 859%

School 59% · District 70% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▲ 59 pts above state median

Science

Grade 874%

School 74% · District 84% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▲ 74 pts above state median

This schoolKEARNEY 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 7Lower-income52%Higher-income68%16 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income57%Higher-income79%22 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income47%Higher-income74%27 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income44%Higher-income76%32 pp gap