The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Castelar Elementary School
CASTELAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Omaha, Nebraska. It is part of the Omaha Public Schools district.
The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, making up the vast majority of the enrollment. The remainder is small numbers of white students and very small shares of students who are Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, or of two or more races. The school's enrollment is around the size of a mid-sized elementary school for its grade band. The school is located in a south Omaha neighborhood, and the housing in the immediate zip code is less expensive than the typical Omaha home.
State assessment results in math, English language arts, and science, for third, fourth, and fifth grade, show a proficiency rate of zero percent across all tested subjects for the most recent year. This is a significant soft spot that any parent would want to look into further with the school directly. The proficiency index for the school places it in the bottom quartile when compared to other districts within Douglas County. Multi-year trend data was available for English language arts, showing a prior year where roughly a quarter of students were proficient, but the most recent single-year figure was lower. Trend data for math and science consistently showed a proficiency rate of zero percent across multiple years, meaning this is not a one-year anomaly. Because the school serves tested grades, these results reflect the performance of all students.
Omaha Public Schools, the parent district, launched a major literacy initiative in 2024 called the Moonshot, with a goal of all students reading on grade level by 2030, using a Science of Reading and structured literacy curriculum. This represents a sustained change in reading instruction across all OPS elementary schools that will be in effect during the years any current primary-grade student attends Castelar.
The school does not report a share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, nor does it report the share of students with an individualized education program or who are English learners. A parent may want to ask the school directly about the level of special education support and English language development services available.
Omaha is Nebraska's largest city, a mix of corporate headquarters and historic districts. The economy is anchored by four Fortune 500 companies headquartered here, including Berkshire Hathaway and Union Pacific. The city has a defined downtown core with cultural institutions and entertainment districts, but much of the city's built environment is car-dependent suburban development. The RiverFront is a major urban park, and the Henry Doorly Zoo is a significant civic anchor. Population growth has been modest in recent years.
This school serves a high-need population in a major urban district and faces extremely low academic proficiency rates across all subjects and grades. The district's new literacy initiative represents an important effort to address reading skills, but it is too early to see results in the available data. A family considering this school would want a very clear understanding of the academic supports in place, the specific instruction happening in classrooms, and the school's own picture of student progress, since the state test scores alone paint a stark picture. The student body is almost entirely Hispanic, and the school sits in a part of Omaha with more affordable housing than the city average.
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