The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in Science. The lowest is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on J Sterling Morton Elem School
J Sterling Morton Elementary School is a regular public school in Omaha that serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, part of the Millard Public Schools district. The school sits on the southwestern edge of Omaha, in a part of the city that is largely residential and suburban in character.
The student body is predominantly white, with a noticeable Hispanic minority and smaller shares of Black and multiracial students. Asian and Native American students together make up a very small portion of enrollment. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet program. Information on whether it receives Title I funding was not available, and data on the share of students receiving special education services or identified as English learners was also missing. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a measure that places the school in a relatively lower-poverty category compared to many public schools statewide.
Academically, the proficiency data from the state's 2024-25 assessments tells a complicated story. In fourth-grade English language arts, the majority of students met the proficiency standard, and fifth-grade science results were quite strong, with the large majority of students scoring proficient. Fifth-grade English results were mixed, with roughly half of students proficient. The most striking data point concerns math: for every tested grade, third, fourth, and fifth, the reported proficiency rate was extremely low. When the school's overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades is measured against other districts in Douglas County, it falls in the bottom quarter of the county. This is a soft spot that a parent would want to look into further with the school, to understand what math instruction and support look like across the building. The school has data for multiple recent years, and the trend lines have not been steady, which makes the current picture harder to read as a single trajectory.
Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was not available. The school's setting in Omaha means families have access to a large city with major employers, including several Fortune 500 headquarters, and a range of cultural and civic institutions such as the Henry Doorly Zoo, the Old Market district, and the College World Series venue. The housing in the school's zip code is valued well above the statewide median, reflecting the west Omaha suburban corridor. Rents have been rising, and home values have increased modestly in the recent period.
The Millard Public Schools district itself did not have any notable recent changes or strategic initiatives publicly reported in the brief search conducted. There is thus no district-level policy shift or building change to factor into a family's decision.
For a family evaluating this school, the academic picture requires careful attention. The science and fourth-grade reading results show that strong instruction exists in parts of the building. The math results, however, are a significant concern and are far out of line with what one would expect given the school's demographic profile. A parent considering this school would likely want to visit, ask about the math curriculum, interventions, and how the school explains those scores, and talk to current families about their experience with math instruction. The school itself is small enough to feel manageable, with the enrollment for its grade band. The physical setting in a stable, higher-value suburban area of Omaha is a draw for many families, and the school is part of a district with a reputation for overall solid performance, though this particular school's state results do not match that district reputation.
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