Wahoo Middle School, Wahoo NE - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Wahoo Middle School

Wahoo Middle School serves grades six through eight in the Wahoo Public Schools district, a mid-sized district in Saunders County. The school occupies a campus in Wahoo, a small county-seat town that has seen modest population growth in recent years and benefits from its proximity to the Lincoln metro area. The town’s compact downtown along Broadway, annual events like the Saunders County Fair and Polka Fests, and recently built public facilities such as a new elementary school and aquatics center give the community a settled, small-town character with some new investment.

Academically, the school presents a mixed picture. Math proficiency is a relative strength, with students across the three middle grades performing at levels that comfortably exceed the state average in that subject. English language arts results are more variable: eighth graders show stronger proficiency than sixth and seventh graders, where proficiency rates are notably lower. Science, tested only in eighth grade, stands out as a bright spot, with a large majority of students meeting the state standard. Despite these individual subject readings, when all tested subjects and grades are averaged together, the school’s overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quarter among Saunders County districts. Additionally, the available multi-year data indicates that proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science have trended downward compared to earlier school years. Parents may want to ask the school what efforts are underway to address this pattern.

The student body is small and demographically homogeneous. The vast majority of students are white, with small numbers of Hispanic, Black, Asian, and multiracial students. About three in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a moderate level of economic diversity. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported in the available records, so a parent with a child in one of these groups would want to inquire directly about supports and programming.

The school’s location in a growing community with home values close to the state median means housing is relatively attainable compared to larger Nebraska metros. The town’s compact size and downtown core suggest a walkable center, though the school itself is on a campus and most residents commute by car, with typical travel times reflecting a mix of local and Lincoln-area employment.

No recent parent-relevant changes at the district level were publicly reported, and the school lacks data on discipline, chronic absenteeism, and course access that would round out the picture of day-to-day student life. Because Wahoo Middle School serves only the middle grades, there is no graduation rate to review.

For a family seeking a small, traditional middle school in a stable county-seat town with solid math and science performance but some softness in literacy and a declining overall trend, this is a school worth examining closely. The academic trajectory and the gaps in information about student support populations are the points a prospective parent would most want to explore in conversation with the school.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 667%

School 67% · District 88% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▲ 67 pts above state median

Grade 778%

School 78% · District 80% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 78 pts above state median

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 80% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▲ 67 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 645%

School 45% · District 74% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▲ 39 pts above state median

Grade 740%

School 40% · District 60% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▲ 40 pts above state median

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 83% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▲ 61 pts above state median

Science

Grade 880%

School 80% · District 92% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 80 pts above state median

This schoolWAHOO PUBLIC SCHOOLS, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income73%Higher-income80%8 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income67%Higher-income85%18 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income67%Higher-income84%18 pp gap