Best Public Schools in Central City, NE

Summary:

The Central City, Nebraska school district consists of three schools: Central City Elementary School, Central City High School, and Central City Middle School. The district as a whole is ranked 34th out of 115 districts in Nebraska and is rated 4 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger, indicating the district is performing well overall.

Within the district, Central City Middle School stands out as a strong performer, consistently ranking among the top 31-66 middle schools in Nebraska over the past 3 years and earning a 4-star rating. The school boasts impressive test scores, with 72-86% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and Mathematics across grades 5-8, as well as a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 12.3.

Central City High School has also demonstrated strong performance, ranking 12th out of 168 Nebraska high schools in 2023-2024 and earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The high school has seen 66-80% of 11th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, 45-67% in Mathematics, and 55-73% in Science, along with a high 4-year graduation rate of 87.9% in 2024-2025 and a lower student-teacher ratio of 10.5. However, the high school's performance has fluctuated, with a ranking as low as 152nd in 2022-2023, suggesting less stability compared to the middle and elementary schools.

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)		ACT English Language Arts (2025)	ACT Mathematics (2025)	ACT 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 3rd Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	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 3rd Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 4th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 5th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 6th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 7th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 8th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics All Grades	NSCAS Science 8th Grade	NSCAS Science All Grades	ACT English Language Arts 11th Grade	ACT Mathematics 11th Grade	ACT Science 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central City High School	Public	9-12	1510 28th St	Central City	68826	Merrick County	Central City Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(308) 946-3086	243	22	11.0	31.7%	224 (92.2%)	2 (0.8%)	10 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.2%)	58.4	65^th of 146 public high schools	55.5%		87.5	12^th of 168 public high schools	92.9%	53																	66.7	45.5	54.6	$24,457	$394	$19,529
Central City Middle School	Public	5-8	2815 17th Ave	Central City	68826	Merrick County	Central City Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(308) 946-3056	223	18	12.1	35.4%	204 (91.5%)	3 (1.3%)	11 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.2%)	74.6	36^th of 133 public middle schools	72.9%		79.3	29^th of 200 public middle schools	85.5%	7			44.6	64.2	72.7	74.2	64.4			73.2	81.1	72.7	86.4	78.7	86.4	89.3				$16,745	$420	$13,521
Central City Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1711 15th Ave	Central City	68826	Merrick County	Central City Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(308) 946-3057	327	23	14.1	40.7%	288 (88.1%)	7 (2.1%)	22 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.1%)	72	80^th of 294 public elementary schools	72.8%		57.8	219^th of 428 public elementary schools	48.8%	139	87.5	64.4					74.8	79.2	74.6					76.6						$18,077	$1,309	$14,126

Cities Near Central City

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Clarks	11.17 mi	1
Polk	11.82 mi	1
Palmer	15.73 mi	2
Grand Island	16.59 mi	27	110^th
Hampton	16.9 mi	2

See the top NE Nebraska cities

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.