The top reported proficiency rate is 66% in Science. The lowest is 9% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Arnold Elementary School
Arnold Elementary School is a regular public school in Lincoln, Nebraska, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Lincoln Public Schools district, the largest in the state. The school operates in a residential area on the northwest side of the city, a part of Lincoln that has been shaped by the district’s recent large-scale building program.
State testing data from the 2024–25 school year provides a clear picture of academic performance at Arnold. In mathematics, proficiency rates were low across the tested grades. Third and fifth graders showed a zero percent proficiency rate, while fourth graders reached a rate well under a third. English language arts results were mixed: third graders were a bit under half proficient, fourth graders just above half, and fifth graders about a third. Science, tested only in fifth grade, showed a stronger result, with roughly two-thirds of students meeting the proficiency bar. When measured against other districts in Lancaster County, Arnold’s overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quartile. Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report, and no data on chronic absenteeism was available for comparison.
The student body is relatively large for an elementary school. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic need. Racially and ethnically, the school is about half white, with a notable Hispanic population; the rest of the student body is a mix of students who are Black, Asian, multiracial, and from other backgrounds. Information on the share of students receiving special education services or classified as English learners was not provided in the available data, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
The setting is Lincoln, a city that functions as the state capital and the economic heart of the metropolitan area. Its economy draws on government, education, healthcare, and manufacturing, including a growing technology sector sometimes called the Midwest Silicon Prairie. Major employers include the State of Nebraska, the university, and the school district itself. The city is growing steadily; recent population estimates show an increase from the 2020 census, and local government has been working on affordable housing initiatives. The downtown and the historic Haymarket District anchor civic life, alongside the state capitol and the University of Nebraska campus.
For the school’s parent district, recent years have brought significant changes. In late 2020, voters approved the largest bond issue in district history, funding two new high schools—both opened in the early 2020s—a new elementary school, and major renovations across existing buildings. That construction reshaped attendance boundaries and relieved overcrowding, meaning families in Arnold’s attendance area may see some of those boundary effects. In 2023, Lincoln Public Schools began implementing a science-of-reading approach to early literacy across all elementary schools, a district-wide shift in how reading instruction is delivered. That change, aligned with a state requirement, may influence how reading is taught at Arnold in the early grades.
For a family considering Arnold Elementary, the academic profile is one to look into further: math attainment is notably low, and English language arts varies by grade, while science stands out as a relative strength. The school serves a high-need population, and the surrounding district has been investing heavily in facilities and instructional approaches. The broader Lincoln area offers a stable, growing economy and a range of civic amenities, though housing prices have been rising in line with national trends. Arnold is not a school that posts top-tier test scores, but the data available does not cover the full range of what an elementary school offers—parent involvement, enrichment programs, or the new literacy curriculum may be part of the story a family would want to explore firsthand.
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