The top reported proficiency rate is 85% in Science. The lowest is 35% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Zeman Elementary School
Zeman Elementary School is a regular public school in the Lincoln Public Schools district, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Located on the south side of Lincoln, it sits within a city that functions as the state capital and the economic hub of the metropolitan area, where government, education, healthcare, and a growing tech sector anchor the economy.
The student body at Zeman is predominantly white, with notable shares of Hispanic students and students who identify as two or more races. More than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a moderate range for economic need compared to others in the area. Information on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the data provided.
On the 2024-25 Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System (NSCAS), Zeman’s results present a mixed picture that varies meaningfully by grade level and subject. In third grade, roughly half of students met proficiency in English language arts and just under half did so in math. By fourth grade, that pattern shifted: English language arts proficiency rose noticeably, while math proficiency dropped to a very low level, as measured by a rate that was reported but not measurable. Fifth graders performed stronger across the board, with a majority proficient in math and nearly two-thirds in English language arts. Science, which is tested only in fifth grade, saw a large share of students reaching proficiency. Taken together, Zeman’s proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other elementary schools in districts across Lancaster County, a fact that parents may want to explore further with the school to understand the context behind the grade-level fluctuations.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Similarly, chronic absenteeism data and other environment measures such as staffing and discipline were not present in the available data, leaving gaps for a family trying to assess the daily learning climate directly from numbers.
Lincoln Public Schools has been through major structural changes that affect Zeman. The district passed the largest bond issue in its history in 2020, funding two new comprehensive high schools that opened in 2022 and 2023, along with a new elementary school and extensive renovations. This built out the district’s physical capacity and shifted attendance boundaries to relieve overcrowding. More recently, the district began implementing a science-of-reading approach to early literacy instruction across all elementary schools starting in 2023, aligning with state law. That means Zeman’s youngest students are learning to read under a uniform, evidence-based curriculum adopted district-wide.
The housing market around Zeman is relatively costly for the region. Typical home values and rents in the school’s zip code are higher than the state average, and buying a home would generally require a larger monthly payment than renting, given current mortgage rates. Lincoln itself is experiencing steady population growth, with city officials noting efforts to increase affordable housing supply. The school’s south Lincoln location places it in a part of the city that has seen residential development alongside broader metropolitan expansion.
Zeman is a neighborhood elementary school in a growing district that has invested heavily in new facilities and is pursuing a systemic shift in reading instruction. Its academic results are uneven across grade levels, with fifth grade showing notably stronger outcomes, while fourth grade math presents a clear area where the typical pattern stalls out. Families considering this school will want to ask about how the school addresses those uneven results, what support is in place for students who are not meeting benchmarks, and how the district’s literacy initiative is playing out in the classroom day to day.
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