Nemaha Central

The two schools in Nemaha Central serve students from prekindergarten through grade 12: Nemaha Central Elementary and Middle School has 509 students in PK–8, and Nemaha Central High School has 242 students in grades 9–12. Both schools’ reported all-grades ELA and math results are above Kansas averages, but the clearest difference is in science: elementary and middle school results are well above state benchmarks, while high-school science is below.

The elementary and middle school stands out in science, with grade 5 proficiency 14 percentage points above Kansas and grade 8 proficiency 25 points above. The high school stands out in grade 10 ELA and math, exceeding state results by 15 and 17 points, respectively; its grade 11 science result is the clearest below-state result, 4 points lower. The schools’ reported all-grades ELA and math figures are nearly even, with the high school ahead by about half a point in ELA and a tenth of a point in math. Its all-grades science figure is 36 points lower than the elementary and middle school’s. These all-grades comparisons cover different grade spans, so they are not like-grade comparisons.

Recent results show a sharp ELA improvement at the high school: proficiency rose from 34% to 56% between the two score years, moving from 10 points below the state to 10 points above. The elementary and middle school’s science result rose 4 points, while its ELA and math results fell by about 1 and 2 points. SchoolDigger places the high school at the 75th percentile and the elementary and middle school at the 71st percentile; the district is ranked 25th of 268 Kansas districts, at the 91st percentile with five stars. The elementary and middle school has a 12.9 student–teacher ratio and a 35% free/reduced-lunch rate, compared with 16.1 and 20% at the high school. The high school’s graduation rate is 98%, versus 90% statewide, while chronic absenteeism is about 13% at each school and 18% statewide.