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Pender Elementary School

Q: Is Pender Elementary School a good school?

Pender Elementary School ranks 55 th of 294 Nebraska elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

55^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 294 Nebraska Elementary Schools

Better than 81% of Nebraska elementary schools

Summary

Pender Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 239 students in grades PK-6 in Pender, Nebraska. Part of the Pender Public Schools district, which is ranked 7th out of 115 districts in the state and has a 5-star rating, Pender Elementary has consistently been one of the top-performing elementary schools in Nebraska over the past decade.

Pender Elementary School excels academically, with students significantly outperforming the state average in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency across all grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, 75% of 5th graders and 76.47% of 6th graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state averages of 55.79% and 58.64% respectively. The school also supports the achievement of various student subgroups, ranking 8th out of 337 Nebraska elementary schools for female students and 9th out of 328 for male students in ELA proficiency in 2021-2022. Additionally, Pender Elementary maintains very low chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 3.6% to 5.5% in recent years, significantly lower than the state average.

Pender Elementary School's strong performance is further highlighted by its comparison to nearby schools. In 2024-2025, Pender's 5th grade ELA proficiency of 75% was significantly higher than the 56.92% at Wayne Elementary School and the 70% at Northeast Elementary At Lyons. This level of sustained excellence over an extended period, along with the school's ability to support students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, makes Pender Elementary a model for other schools to emulate.

242

Students ?

11.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,733

Per pupil spending ?

45.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

609 Whitney St
Pender, NE 68047-5036

(402) 385-3244

District: Pender Public Schools

Students who attend Pender Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Pender High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.6%

Hispanic:

13.6%

Two or more races:

3.7%

See top rated Nebraska elementary schools

Compare Pender Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 92nd percentile in 2015 → 81st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Nebraska average (82% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of Nebraska elementary schools

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school82%

District avg81%

Nebraska avg58%

55^th of 294

Nebraska public elementary schools ?

Top 19%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From top 8% (2015) to top 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Nebraska Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 118Pender 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	78.0	55 of 294	81.3%	★★★★☆
2024	79.2	77 of 428	82.0%	★★★★☆
2023	85.4	43 of 459	90.6%	★★★★★
2022	91.2	17 of 457	96.3%	★★★★★
2021	93.9	14 of 442	96.8%	★★★★★
2019	93.4	15 of 452	96.7%	★★★★★
2018	94.7	8 of 450	98.2%	★★★★★
2017	91.6	7 of 459	98.5%	★★★★★
2016	84.6	41 of 480	91.5%	★★★★★
2015	84.2	39 of 488	92.0%	★★★★★
2014	63.3	160 of 483	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	57.9	203 of 485	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	55.3	225 of 480	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	48.6	256 of 473	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	59.5	206 of 502	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	47.6	325 of 471	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	60.4	211 of 478	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	69.9	107 of 430	75.1%	★★★★☆
2006	61.6	166 of 418	60.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	82.3	50 of 349	85.7%	★★★★☆
2022	92.9	8 of 337	97.6%	★★★★★
2021	90.3	14 of 318	95.6%	★★★★★
2019	93.9	10 of 349	97.1%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	93.2	5 of 312	98.4%	★★★★★
2022	84.4	19 of 259	92.7%	★★★★★
2021	92.8	7 of 264	97.3%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	82.6	52 of 366	85.8%	★★★★☆
2022	80.1	47 of 356	86.8%	★★★★☆
2021	93.6	9 of 328	97.3%	★★★★★
2019	94.3	11 of 367	97.0%	★★★★★
2018	95.5	6 of 347	98.3%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2024	66.3	81 of 261	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	78.3	58 of 385	84.9%	★★★★☆
2022	85.8	27 of 388	93.0%	★★★★★
2021	93.7	9 of 368	97.6%	★★★★★
2019	93.4	12 of 391	96.9%	★★★★★
2018	95.7	3 of 391	99.2%	★★★★★

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)98th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2023)86th percentile-5 vs school

Female (2023)86th percentile-5 vs school

White (2024)69th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Nebraska (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics83%+25 vs state

English Language Arts80%+21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pender Elementary 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 (2025)
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 3rd Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts All Grades	NSCAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 4th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 5th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 6th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics All Grades	NSCAS Science 5th Grade	NSCAS Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pender Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	609 Whitney St	Pender	68047	Thurston County	Pender Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 385-3244	242	21	11.4	45.5%	195 (80.6%)	1 (0.4%)	33 (13.6%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.7%)	78	55^th of 294 public elementary schools	81.3%		79.2	77^th of 428 public elementary schools	82.0%	22			75.0	76.5	80.2			82.5	70.6	83.5			$20,733	$1,126	$17,190
Bancroft-Rosalie Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	708 Main St	Bancroft	68004	Cuming County	Bancroft-Rosalie Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 648-3336	170	15	11.1		107 (62.9%)	2 (1.2%)	8 (4.7%)	2 (1.2%)	47 (27.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.4%)								(n/a)				66.7	66.7			60.9		69.7			$21,168	$2,944	$15,443
Walthill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	602 Main St	Walthill	68067	Thurston County	Walthill Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 846-5432	159	22	7.3		5 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	140 (88.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.9%)								(n/a)													$36,428	$3,824	$28,298
Emerson-Hubbard Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	109 W Third St	Emerson	68733	Dixon County	Emerson-Hubbard Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 695-2654	100	10	9.6	62.0%	73 (73.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (16.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (11.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					68.9					77.8			$25,957	$1,980	$21,638
Wakefield Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	802 Highland	Wakefield	68784	Wayne County	Wakefield Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 287-9892	341	29	11.8	55.1%	121 (35.5%)	1 (0.3%)	217 (63.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	7.9	276^th of 294 public elementary schools	6.1%		21.1	354^th of 428 public elementary schools	17.3%	78		45.1	36.8	46.3	44.2					47.7			$19,101	$1,110	$15,781
Wisner-Pilger Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	801 18th St	Wisner	68791	Cuming County	Wisner-Pilger Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 529-6465	306	24	12.6	43.5%	243 (79.4%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (16.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.9%)	61.2	118^th of 294 public elementary schools	59.9%		69.9	127^th of 428 public elementary schools	70.3%	9		69.0	61.0		65.8	73.1	79.3	68.3		76.7	87.8	87.8	$20,572	$1,291	$16,623
Winnebago Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	202 Osborne St	Winnebago	68071	Thurston County	Winnebago Public Schools District 17	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 878-2224	438	43	10.2		4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	415 (94.7%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)								(n/a)													$30,822	$2,645	$24,517
Northeast Elementary At Lyons	Public	PK, KG-6	400 S 5th St	Lyons	68038	Burt County	Lyons-Decatur Northeast Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 687-2363	165	14	12.0	35.2%	143 (86.7%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.2%)	1 (0.6%)	10 (6.1%)	1 (0.6%)	3 (1.8%)	62.9	112^th of 294 public elementary schools	61.9%		58.4	213^th of 428 public elementary schools	50.2%	101			70.0		78.4			70.0	69.6	73.0			$23,938	$1,275	$18,137
Wayne Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	312 Douglas Street	Wayne	68787	Wayne County	Wayne Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 375-3854	499	32	15.6	36.9%	378 (75.8%)	3 (0.6%)	99 (19.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	4 (0.8%)	12 (2.4%)	63	111^th of 294 public elementary schools	62.2%		76.4	92^nd of 428 public elementary schools	78.5%	19	63.6	76.1	56.9	71.4	67.4	75.3	88.6		58.2	69.3	90.8	90.8	$13,821	$303	$12,098
Homer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	212 S 3rd	Homer	68030	Dakota County	Homer Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 698-2377	245	21	11.8	46.5%	192 (78.4%)	1 (0.4%)	13 (5.3%)	4 (1.6%)	30 (12.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.0%)	61.1	119^th of 294 public elementary schools	59.5%		40.1	293^rd of 428 public elementary schools	31.5%	174	68.0			63.6	48.0	76.0				63.0			$18,205	$815	$14,118

Frequently Asked Questions about Pender Elementary School

How many students attend Pender Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 242 students attended Pender Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Pender Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Pender Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Pender High School

What district is Pender Elementary School in?

Pender Public Schools

Is Pender Elementary School a good school?

Pender Elementary School ranks 55^th of 294 Nebraska elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Pender Elementary School?

Students at Pender Elementary School are 81% White, 14% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

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Schools in Pender, NE

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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.