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Dawes Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

111^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 133 Nebraska Middle Schools

Better than 17% of Nebraska middle schools

Summary

Dawes Middle School is a public middle school in Lincoln, Nebraska, serving 396 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Lincoln Public Schools district, which is ranked 95 out of 115 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Dawes Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Nebraska middle schools over the past several years.

Dawes Middle School faces significant academic challenges, consistently underperforming compared to the Lincoln Public Schools district and the state of Nebraska in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 39.86% of 6th graders at Dawes were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 57.57% for the district and 58.64% for the state. The school also has significantly higher chronic absenteeism rates than the state average, ranging from 19.3% to 33.9% over the past few years, indicating a potential issue with student engagement and attendance.

Interestingly, Dawes Middle School's performance is significantly lower than that of nearby schools within the Lincoln Public Schools district, such as School Middle School, Irving Middle School, and Lux Middle School, which consistently rank in the top half of Nebraska middle schools and have higher academic achievement and lower chronic absenteeism rates. The high rates of chronic absenteeism and the large proportion of students from low-income families at Dawes Middle School suggest that socioeconomic factors may be playing a significant role in the school's academic challenges.

395

Students ?

11.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,556

Per pupil spending ?

76.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5130 Colfax Street
Lincoln, NE 68504-1751

(402) 436-1211

District: Lincoln Public Schools

Students who attend Dawes Middle School usually attend:

High:

Lincoln Northeast High School

Feeder schools for Dawes Middle School:

Elementary:	Huntington Elementary School
	Norwood Park Elementary School
	Pershing Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.4%

Hispanic:

21.3%

Two or more races:

11.9%

See top rated Nebraska middle schools

Compare Dawes Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 8th percentile in 2022 → 17th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 17th (2025) from a 8th-percentile low (2022)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Nebraska average (51% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (34% vs 19% Nebraska)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school51%

District avg59%

Nebraska avg61%

111^th of 133

Nebraska public middle schools ?

Bottom 17%▼ down 20 pts since 2015

From bottom 37% (2015) to bottom 17% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Nebraska Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 12Middle Schools in the Lincoln Public Schools

96^th of 118Lincoln Public Schools among Nebraska districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	18.6	111 of 133	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.1	182 of 200	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.7	217 of 238	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	230 of 249	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.8	195 of 223	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.7	209 of 247	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.6	174 of 225	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.1	203 of 236	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	32.2	195 of 255	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	43.5	162 of 256	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	35.4	192 of 252	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	59.3	13 of 30	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	89.2	3 of 24	87.5%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	76.9	5 of 35	85.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2024	13.4	93 of 106	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.0	134 of 146	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.4	134 of 150	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.7	116 of 137	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.8	136 of 156	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.0	113 of 147	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2024	35.4	40 of 56	28.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	17.3	56 of 67	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.3	51 of 61	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.5	40 of 59	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.1	40 of 62	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.8	39 of 56	30.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2024	28.1	71 of 92	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.7	124 of 144	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.1	99 of 118	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.2	89 of 115	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.9	96 of 123	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.2	88 of 120	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2024	27.8	81 of 106	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.1	137 of 156	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.8	142 of 160	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.3	125 of 144	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.1	130 of 153	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.6	110 of 141	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	17.7	25 of 29	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.2	19 of 20	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.4	15 of 17	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	14.2	63 of 70	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.2	27 of 40	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.1	37 of 52	28.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.5	34 of 44	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	17.0	82 of 94	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.9	123 of 141	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.7	200 of 217	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.2	205 of 234	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.6	171 of 204	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.2	185 of 222	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.7	146 of 203	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2023)86th percentile+77 vs school

African American (2023)57th percentile+48 vs school

Hispanic (2024)29th percentile+20 vs school

Male (2024)24th percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)23rd percentile+14 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)14th percentile+5 vs school

White (2025)13th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2024)12th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2023)10th percentile~ school

By subject vs Nebraska (2024-2025) ?

Science72%-8 vs state

English Language Arts50%-8 vs state

Mathematics44%-14 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, December 4, 2017

Better staff and principal would help this school tremendously Close Quote

Schools Near Dawes Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NSCAS English Language Arts (2025)				NSCAS Mathematics (2025)				NSCAS Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NSCAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts All Grades	NSCAS Mathematics 6th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 7th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 8th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics All Grades	NSCAS Science 8th Grade	NSCAS Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dawes Middle School	Public	6-8	5130 Colfax Street	Lincoln	68504	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 436-1211	395	36	11.0		207 (52.4%)	39 (9.9%)	84 (21.3%)	14 (3.5%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	47 (11.9%)	18.6	111^th of 133 public middle schools	16.5%		14.1	182^nd of 200 public middle schools	9.0%	71	39.9	55.6	56.9	50.4	38.4	44.8	50.4	44.3	71.5	71.5	$21,556	$3,670	$14,715
Mickle Middle School	Public	6-8	2500 N 67th St	Lincoln	68507	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1216	705	47	14.8	44.7%	493 (69.9%)	32 (4.5%)	97 (13.8%)	21 (3.0%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	57 (8.1%)	35.8	93^rd of 133 public middle schools	30.1%		40.5	133^rd of 200 public middle schools	33.5%	40	58.2	54.0	65.0	58.9	56.2	44.4	65.9	55.3	78.5	78.5	$14,659	$997	$11,748
Culler Middle School	Public	6-8	5201 Vine St	Lincoln	68504	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 436-1210	677	64	10.5		274 (40.5%)	103 (15.2%)	186 (27.5%)	45 (6.6%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (9.5%)	1.1	130^th of 133 public middle schools	2.3%		1.7	191^st of 200 public middle schools	4.5%	61	24.5	25.3	35.9	28.8		20.8	27.2	21.3	46.9	46.9	$17,535	$2,676	$12,733
Goodrich Middle School	Public	6-8	4600 Lewis Avenue	Lincoln	68521	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 436-1213	849	67	12.7		331 (39.0%)	113 (13.3%)	244 (28.7%)	55 (6.5%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	102 (12.0%)	6.2	122^nd of 133 public middle schools	8.3%		8.8	188^th of 200 public middle schools	6.0%	66	39.9	40.9	45.1	42.1	34.1	39.8	36.0	36.5	60.3	60.3	$15,658	$2,171	$11,789
Lefler Middle School	Public	6-8	1100 S 48th St	Lincoln	68510	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 436-1215	584	46	12.7		299 (51.2%)	53 (9.1%)	110 (18.8%)	35 (6.0%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	81 (13.9%)	23.4	109^th of 133 public middle schools	18.0%		36.3	142^nd of 200 public middle schools	29.0%	33	59.8	52.0	58.1	56.5	57.5	40.1	47.6	48.0	67.5	67.5	$16,948	$2,043	$12,786
Nuernberger Education Center	Public	6-8	1801 S 40th St	Lincoln	68506	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1255	0	13	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Middle School Student Support Program	Public	6-8	1801 South 40th Street	Lincoln	68506	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1694	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Park Middle School	Public	6-8	855 S 8th St	Lincoln	68508	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 436-1212	843	66	12.8		328 (38.9%)	117 (13.9%)	248 (29.4%)	74 (8.8%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	71 (8.4%)	14.6	114^th of 133 public middle schools	14.3%		10.8	186^th of 200 public middle schools	7.0%	72	42.9	38.7	55.1	45.5	44.4	39.1	54.2	45.8	69.5	69.5	$17,182	$2,330	$12,460
School Middle School	Public	6-8	700 Penrose Drive	Lincoln	68521	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1222	1,006	64	15.8	44.4%	607 (60.3%)	86 (8.5%)	132 (13.1%)	61 (6.1%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	115 (11.4%)	28	99^th of 133 public middle schools	25.6%		34.6	149^th of 200 public middle schools	25.5%	50	61.2	52.3	57.3	56.9	49.7	48.3	47.2	48.4	78.3	78.3	$13,805	$1,110	$10,896
Irving Middle School	Public	6-8	2745 S 22nd St	Lincoln	68502	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1214	795	55	14.5	39.6%	515 (64.8%)	54 (6.8%)	100 (12.6%)	29 (3.6%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	90 (11.3%)	41.6	89^th of 133 public middle schools	33.1%		39.5	135^th of 200 public middle schools	32.5%	46	67.7	57.1	75.9	66.8	58.3	49.8	54.3	54.1	73.6	73.6	$15,132	$1,091	$11,577

Frequently Asked Questions about Dawes Middle School

What district is Dawes Middle School in?

Lincoln Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Dawes Middle School?

Students at Dawes Middle School are 52% White, 21% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 10% African American, 4% Asian.

How many students attend Dawes Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 395 students attended Dawes Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Dawes Middle School attend?

Students who attend Dawes Middle School usually go on to attend Lincoln Northeast High School

Is Dawes Middle School a good school?

Dawes Middle School ranks in the bottom 16.5% of Nebraska middle schools.

Rate Dawes Middle School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Nebraska Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.