Summary:
The city of Wakefield, Nebraska is home to two schools - Wakefield Elementary School and Wakefield High School, both part of the Wakefield Public Schools district. While Wakefield High School shows some academic strengths, both schools face challenges related to attendance, poverty, and overall performance.
Wakefield High School stands out with a relatively high 4-year graduation rate of 87.9% and strong ACT test scores, with over 60% of 11th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, nearly 50% in Mathematics, and over 58% in Science - all significantly above state averages. In contrast, Wakefield Elementary School has struggled, with 4th-6th grade English Language Arts proficiency rates ranging from 36.84% to 46.34%, below the state average of 55.79% to 59.59%. However, the elementary school has shown improvement in its statewide ranking, moving from 306 out of 459 Nebraska elementary schools in 2022-2023 to 260 out of 274 in 2024-2025, though it is still rated only 1 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.
Both Wakefield schools face challenges, with high rates of chronic absenteeism (19.3%) and a large percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (over 60% at each school). The Wakefield Public Schools district as a whole is ranked relatively low in the state, suggesting opportunities for improvement across the district. While the schools have relatively low student-teacher ratios, the academic performance indicates that other factors may be impacting student outcomes, and further analysis and targeted interventions may be needed to better support students in the Wakefield community.
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