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Best Public Schools in Merrick County, NE

At a glance

Schools

1,220

Students

Districts

Top rankedCentral City Middle School36^th of 133 Nebraska middle schools

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Biggest riser

Central City Elementary School up 139 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

High Plains Community Elementary School 7.7 students per teacher

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 (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 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
Palmer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	202 Commercial St	Palmer	68864	Merrick County	Palmer Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(308) 894-3065	184	14	13.4	25.0%	165 (89.7%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.3%)								(n/a)	59.4	60.0					61.7													$19,388	$1,012	$15,227
Palmer Junior-Senior High	Public	7-12	202 Commercial St	Palmer	68864	Merrick County	Palmer Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(308) 894-3065	129	12	11.2	36.4%	118 (91.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)								(n/a)					68.8	71.4	68.5							70.4						$21,732	$367	$18,715
High Plains Community Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	205 W Pearl St	Clarks	68628	Merrick County	High Plains Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(308) 548-2216	114	15	7.7	28.1%	99 (86.8%)	1 (0.9%)	14 (12.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)							60.9		75.0	72.2				71.9						$30,490	$695	$24,895
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	$23,813	$125	$19,268
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				$17,223	$150	$14,271
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						$18,169	$1,121	$14,465

SchoolDigger rankings lists for Nebraska:

Elementary Schools Middle Schools High Schools Districts 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.