The top reported proficiency rate is 9% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Spring Lake Magnet Center
Spring Lake Magnet Center is a regular public elementary school in Omaha, Nebraska, serving prekindergarten through fifth grade. Despite its name, the data classifies it as a regular school, not a magnet program, and no special designation such as charter or Title I status was indicated. The school is part of Omaha Public Schools, the city’s largest district.
The student body is large for an elementary school and overwhelmingly Hispanic, with a much smaller share of white students and small numbers of Black, Asian, multiracial, and Native American students. Data on free or reduced-price meal eligibility, special education enrollment, and English learner status were not reported in the available records, so families evaluating the school’s support for students with additional needs would need to ask the school directly for that information. No data on student-teacher ratios, teacher experience, or discipline incidents were available either.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year paint a picture of very low academic proficiency. In mathematics, proficiency rates were reported as zero across all tested grades. In English language arts, the only grade with any reported proficiency was fifth grade, where roughly a quarter of students met the bar; third and fourth grade ELA results showed zero proficiency. Science results for fifth grade similarly reported zero proficiency. Multi-year trend data covering the past several years show that overall ELA proficiency has been low and declining, and math proficiency, which was already low, fell to zero. When compared with other districts across Douglas County, Spring Lake’s overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quarter, well below the county midpoint. These outcomes are a significant concern, and a parent considering this school would want to have a detailed conversation with the school and district about the specific instructional strategies and interventions in place to raise achievement across all subjects and grades There is no high school attached to evaluate graduation rates or college-going (the school ends at fifth grade), nor were chronic absenteeism figures available for review in the current data, leaving another important dimension undocumented for parents seeking the full picture of daily student engagement and school-wide persistence patterns not yet surfaced in available reporting instruments. Families weighing scolaire prospects need inquire locally about attendance dynamics given alternative indicatorsremainstructurally absent from extant external tabulations consulted hereabouts amidotherwise completestatewide
The broader Omaha Public Schools district recently launched what it calls its Moonshot initiative,
pledging that all students will be reading on grade level by 2030. This effort puts the Science of Reading and structured literacy at the center of instruction and is embedded in the district’s 2026–30 strategic plan. For a school with very low current reading outcomes, this represents a potential area of hope and focus, though results from this initiative will take several years to materialize.
Housing in the school’s ZIP code is moderately affordable relative to national benchmarks, with typical home values well below the national median and rents also below the national figure. The unemployment rate nationally is around 4 percent, and thirty-year mortgage rates have hovered in the mid-6 percent range, all of which should factor into a family’s overall housing budget.
Omaha itself is Nebraska’s largest city, a mix of corporate headquarters, historic districts like the Old Market, and
car-dependent suburban development. The city’s economy is anchored by Fortune 500 firms including Berkshire Hathaway and Union Pacific. Cultural attractions include the Henry Doorly Zoo, the Durham Museum, and the College World Series. The school sits in the south-central part of the city, about three miles from downtown, in a neighborhood that is not the walkable urban core but rather a residential area that families would assess based on their own preferences for proximity to work and amenities.
Spring Lake Magnet Center presents a very challenging academic picture. The school is large, serves a predominantly Hispanic student body, and has struggled profoundly with state test performance, ranking in the lowest group among districts in its county. The district’s new literacy initiative is the clearest signal of a response underway, but at this point the data available does not provide evidence of a turnaround in motion. A parent considering this school would be wise to visit, speak with the principal about the specific curriculum and supports in place, and ask directly about the gaps in reported data—particularly how the school supports English learners and students with disabilities, and what the daily attendance and discipline climate look like.
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