The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in Science. The lowest is 20% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Culler Middle School
Culler Middle School sits in Lincoln, Nebraska, serving grades six through eight as a regular public school within the Lincoln Public Schools district. For a family considering this school, the picture that emerges is one of a large, diverse middle school in a growing city, where academic performance has been low relative to other schools in the district, and where a substantial share of students come from households with economic need.
The school enrolls a large student body for a middle school, drawing from the neighborhoods around its location near the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. The student population is racially and ethnically diverse. White students make up the largest group, followed by a significant Hispanic population, a smaller but notable Black student population, and Asian and multiracial groups each making up a visible share. A very high rate of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a large majority of Culler’s families face economic challenges.
On state assessments, Culler’s results give a family a clear set of numbers to consider. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient was modest across all three grade levels. In math, the pattern was similar for sixth and seventh graders, but eighth graders showed no student reaching proficiency. In science, which is tested only in eighth grade, the proficiency rate was higher than in math or English at that grade level but still low in absolute terms. The overall proficiency index, which averages these results, places Culler in the bottom quartile among middle schools across Lancaster County. For a parent, this is the central academic challenge at the school; a family wanting strong test scores will see these as significant gaps. A parent moving into the area with a student who is already behind grade level might want to look into this further with the school to understand what supports are in place.
State testing data was available for the most recent year, and looking at a multi-year trend, the picture is mixed. In English, the overall proficiency rate has been relatively stable but low. In math, the rate has crept upward from an even lower starting point, though it remains low. In science, the rate has declined from a higher point a few years earlier. No single trend line shows a sharp move in a positive direction, and the overall picture is of a school that has been struggling to lift student performance.
The school itself is a regular middle school in a large district. It does not have the special focus of a magnet or charter school. No information was available on discipline rates, course access, or special education and English learner counts, so a family with particular needs there — for example, a child with an IEP or a student learning English — would want to ask the school directly for those details.
The district context matters here. Lincoln Public Schools is a large, growing district. In recent years, it passed a major bond issue that funded two new high schools and an elementary school, along with renovations, which reshaped attendance boundaries and relieved overcrowding. This kind of growth means that Culler’s enrollment and feeder patterns may shift over time. The district also began a system-wide shift to a “science of reading” approach in elementary schools starting a few years ago, a change in early literacy instruction that will eventually reach Culler’s incoming sixth graders but would not yet have affected current students’ test results.
Lincoln itself is the economic and governmental anchor of the region, driven by state government, the university, healthcare, and manufacturing. It has a downtown and a historic Haymarket District, and it has been growing steadily, with new housing development and a noted startup scene. Housing values in the area around the school are below the state average, and the rent-to-income ratio suggests that renting is a bit more affordable than the national average, though an estimated monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home requires a substantial income.
A family considering Culler Middle School should understand that they are looking at a large, economically diverse school with a student body that reflects a range of backgrounds, set in a growing state capital. The academic performance on state tests is the school’s most prominent soft spot, and a parent who values high test scores or whose child is already performing well academically will need to weigh that carefully. The district’s recent building program and literacy shift show institutional investment and change, but those have not yet shown up in Culler’s academic outcomes. For a family that is comfortable with those realities and wants a neighborhood middle school in a diverse, urban district, Culler is a straightforward option; for a family with high academic expectations, it is not a clear fit without further investigation into the school’s classroom-level supports.
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