The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Pinewood Elementary School
Pinewood Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within Omaha Public Schools, located in the northern part of Omaha. The school sits in a city that is both Nebraska’s largest population center and a hub for major corporate headquarters, including Berkshire Hathaway, Union Pacific, and Mutual of Omaha. Omaha’s downtown core, with its Old Market district and cultural institutions such as the Durham Museum and the Henry Doorly Zoo, contrasts with the largely car-dependent suburban residential areas that spread across a wide geographic footprint. Pinewood’s own neighborhood is part of the city’s north side, an area with its own distinct character within the broader metro.
The student body at Pinewood is diverse. The largest demographic groups are Black students and Asian students, each making up a substantial share of enrollment, followed by Hispanic students, White students, and students of two or more races. A small number of American Indian or Alaska Native students are also enrolled. This composition means that no single racial or ethnic group forms a majority, and the peer environment reflects the range of backgrounds present across north Omaha. The school’s total enrollment is small for an elementary school serving PK through fifth grade, giving it a scale where students and staff can be familiar with one another.
On state assessments in math, English language arts, and science, Pinewood’s proficiency rates are reported as very low across all tested grades. The data shows zero percent of students scored proficient in every grade and subject assessed for the most recent testing year. This pattern is consistent across multiple years of data, where proficiency rates have been low over time. Among the school districts in Douglas County, Pinewood’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quarter of schools that have reported results. This is a significant soft spot, and any parent considering Pinewood would want to discuss directly with the school what instructional supports, interventions, and strategies are in place to address student learning outcomes.
The school does not report data on free or reduced-price meal eligibility, nor on the share of students receiving special education services or classified as English learners. These are common data points for understanding the level of need a school serves, and their absence means a family cannot assess those dimensions from this information alone. The school also has no data on chronic absenteeism, which is another useful measure of student engagement and school climate.
A parent looking at Pinewood will find a school that is small, diverse in its student body, and located within a large urban district that has recently committed to a major literacy initiative. In 2024, Omaha Public Schools launched its Moonshot program, aiming to have every student reading on grade level by 2030, using a Science of Reading and structured literacy approach. This district-wide pedagogical shift means that Pinewood’s early elementary classrooms are part of this sustained focus on foundational reading skills. The initiative is embedded in the district’s strategic plan and represents a change that families with children in OPS elementary schools will see directly.
The housing context in Pinewood’s area shows home values that are somewhat above the state median but below the national median, with rents and mortgage costs that mirror broader affordability patterns in the region. Omaha’s economy is anchored by several Fortune-level employers, and the metro area has seen modest population growth and ongoing development, including expansions of major civic venues.
For a family considering this school, the central question likely revolves around academic performance. The state test results are a clear cause for concern, and a parent should seek detailed information about the school’s approach to instruction, intervention, and how it measures progress beyond the state assessment. The school’s small size could allow for close relationships between teachers and students, but the evidence does not show whether that translates into academic growth. The district’s literacy initiative may eventually change the trajectory for younger students, but that work is still unfolding. Pinewood is a place where a family would need to be proactive in understanding the school’s specific strengths and challenges, because the publicly available data raises more questions than it answers.
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