Hillside Elementary School, Omaha NE

Original Research by School Decision on Hillside Elementary School

Hillside Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade as a regular public school in the Westside Community Schools district. The school is located in Omaha, Nebraska's largest city, a metropolitan area anchored by major corporate headquarters and a mix of historic and suburban neighborhoods. The school sits in a residential part of the city, and the surrounding housing market reflects a mid-range cost of living relative to national benchmarks.

The student body is racially and ethnically diverse. White students make up the largest share, with notable populations of students who identify as two or more races, Hispanic students, and Black students. A small number of Asian students are also enrolled. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a substantial share of households with lower incomes. The school enrolls roughly enough students to be considered a mid-sized elementary school for its grade band, with enrollment spread fairly evenly from kindergarten through sixth grade. The school did not report data on students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent may want to look into this further with the school if those supports are a priority.

Academically, the picture is mixed and warrants attention. On the 2024-25 state assessments, proficiency rates in English language arts varied by grade level. The lowest tested grade showed a rate below the midpoint, while the highest tested grade was lower still. Math proficiency was reported as very low across all tested grades, with rates that were far below typical levels. Science, tested only in one grade, showed a stronger result, with a substantial share of students meeting the proficiency standard. When looking across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other schools in Douglas County. This is a significant soft spot that a family would want to understand in context, particularly since the school's own data shows a decline in both math and English language arts proficiency compared to earlier years within the same assessment period.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism and course access were also not available. The school's status as a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, means it follows the standard district curriculum and enrollment boundaries.

Omaha itself is a city with strong economic anchors, including Fortune 500 headquarters and a diversified employment base. The broader Westside Community Schools district did not have publicly reported recent policy, referendum, or curriculum changes that would suggest a shift in direction, so families should rely on current school-level information when evaluating fit.

For a family considering Hillside, the school offers a diverse student community in a stable urban setting. The academic performance, particularly in math and reading, is an area where the school appears to struggle relative to both the county and its own past results. Parents who value strong science instruction may find a bright spot there, but the overall proficiency picture is one that calls for direct conversation with the school about instruction, intervention, and how the school supports students who are not yet meeting benchmarks.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 30%

School 0% · District 67% · ▼ 66 pts below district

even with state median · even with county median

Grade 40%

School 0% · District 67% · ▼ 67 pts below district

even with state median · even with county median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 64% · ▼ 64 pts below district

even with state median · even with county median

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 69% · ▼ 69 pts below district

even with state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 65% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▲ 47 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 68% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 69% · ▼ 69 pts below district

even with state median · even with county median

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 70% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Science

Grade 577%

School 77% · District 87% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▲ 77 pts above state median · ▲ 77 pts above county median

This schoolWESTSIDE COMMUNITY 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

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income66%Higher-income69%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income62%Higher-income79%18 pp gap