The top reported proficiency rate is 68% in Science. The lowest is 35% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Saddlebrook Elementary School
Saddlebrook Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in Omaha Public Schools, the largest district in Nebraska. It is a regular public school located in a residential section of the city’s northwest side, an area that mixes suburban-style development with proximity to Omaha’s broader commercial and cultural resources. The building is not a charter or magnet school.
The student body is predominantly white, with the remaining students coming from Asian, black, multiracial, and Hispanic backgrounds in that order. A small handful of students are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Data on how many students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch was not available, and the same is true for the share of students receiving special education services or classified as English learners. Families may want to ask the school directly for these numbers to round out their understanding of the student community and available supports. Enrollment across grades PK through five is steady but not crowded, with the largest class in second grade and each grade from kindergarten through fifth holding roughly similar numbers.
On the most recent state assessments, the school saw a pattern that is worth a closer look. In third grade, just over half of students scored proficient in both math and English language arts. Fourth grade results were similar, with a slightly higher share proficient in English language arts than in math. Fifth grade outcomes diverged sharply. In fifth grade math, zero percent of students scored proficient. That is a striking number for a single grade and subject. The fifth grade did post the strongest results in any area, with a share proficient in science that was the highest across any tested grade or subject, and the English language arts result for fifth graders was also the highest across grades. The science outcome for fifth graders was the strongest performance in any tested area by a noticeable margin. Over a longer timeline, the data show that the school’s overall proficiency in math, English language arts, and science has declined from earlier levels. This trend, combined with the fifth grade math result, is something a parent or resident should discuss with the school administration to understand what supports are in place and what may be driving the change.
The neighborhood housing market reflects prices that are above the national median home value. Rents follow a similar pattern relative to national benchmarks, making this a more expensive part of the metro area. Mortgage rates and unemployment were at their respective national levels at the time of the data. Omaha itself is Nebraska’s largest city, home to major corporate headquarters and a downtown core with cultural institutions like the Joslyn Art Museum, the Durham Museum, and the Henry Doorly Zoo. The city has seen modest population growth in recent years and continues to see development activity.
The parent school district, Omaha Public Schools, launched a district-wide initiative in 2024 called Moonshot, with the goal of having every student reading on grade level by 2030. It centers on structured literacy and the Science of Reading, so families with children at Saddlebrook can expect a sustained, multi-year shift in how reading instruction is delivered across the elementary grades. This is a change embedded in the district’s strategic plan and is likely to be a recurring topic in communications from the school.
Overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades, when viewed against other districts in Douglas County, places Saddlebrook in the bottom quartile. This is a useful piece of context, but it is based on a single composite measure and does not capture the variation across subjects and grade levels. A family looking at this school will want to weigh the fifth grade science strength, the post-pandemic pattern of declining scores, the specific fifth grade math result, and the district’s new literacy focus when deciding whether the academic pathway and support environment align with their child’s needs.
See more original research from School Decision →