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Palmer Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-6

Summary

Palmer Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 208 students in grades PK-6 in Palmer, Nebraska. The school is part of the Palmer Public Schools district, which is ranked 107 out of 182 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Palmer Elementary School has shown strong academic performance, consistently outpacing the state average in both English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grade levels. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, 64% of 3rd graders, 53% of 4th graders, 75% of 5th graders, and 70.97% of 6th graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state averages of 58.91%, 58.98%, 57.43%, and 58.3%, respectively. Similarly, in Mathematics, Palmer Elementary School's proficiency rates were 68% for 3rd grade, 53% for 4th grade, 70% for 5th grade, and 58.06% for 6th grade, compared to the state averages of 60.65%, 59.96%, 61.1%, and 57.22%. However, the school has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, from 6.4% in the 2021-2022 school year to 21.5% in the 2022-2023 school year, which is an area of concern.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Knickrehm Elementary School in Grand Island, Palmer Elementary School generally outperforms the other schools in academic achievement, particularly in English Language Arts and Mathematics. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, Palmer Elementary School's 3rd grade ELA proficiency rate of 64% was significantly higher than the 36.59% rate at Knickrehm Elementary School. However, the school's performance has fluctuated over the years, with the school ranking as high as 66 out of 452 Nebraska elementary schools in the 2018-2019 school year (4-star rating) and as low as 435 out of 483 in the 2013-2014 school year (1-star rating), indicating underlying challenges that the school and district need to address.

184

Students ?

13.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,945

Per pupil spending ?

25%

Free/discounted lunch ?

202 Commercial St
Palmer, NE 68864-0248

(308) 894-3065

District: Palmer Public Schools

Students who attend Palmer Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Palmer Junior-Senior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.7%

Hispanic:

6.0%

Two or more races:

4.3%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 10th percentile in 2014 → 50th in 2024

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 40 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school62%

District avg64%

Nebraska avg59%

Not ranked this year

Palmer Elementary School did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

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
2024	58.6	212 of 428	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.4	331 of 459	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	51.4	233 of 457	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.0	204 of 442	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	80.7	66 of 452	85.4%	★★★★☆
2018	67.5	126 of 450	72.0%	★★★★☆
2017	55.1	211 of 459	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	32.1	366 of 480	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.7	416 of 488	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	17.2	435 of 483	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	12.3	457 of 485	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	33.6	357 of 480	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	38.1	323 of 473	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	36.9	392 of 502	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	58.2	221 of 471	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	50.6	313 of 478	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	27.7	368 of 430	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	26.7	351 of 418	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	41.1	210 of 349	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.2	143 of 337	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.5	123 of 318	61.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	67.6	82 of 312	73.7%	★★★★☆
2021	75.0	37 of 264	86.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2021	52.1	160 of 328	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.2	127 of 367	65.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	22.1	329 of 385	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.4	244 of 388	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.9	275 of 368	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	68.1	103 of 391	73.7%	★★★★☆
2018	55.9	159 of 391	59.3%	★★★☆☆

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)74th percentile+46 vs school

Male (2021)51st percentile-3 vs school

Female (2023)40th percentile+12 vs school

White (2023)15th percentile-13 vs school

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Schools Near Palmer 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 (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 All Grades	NSCAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 4th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 5th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 6th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics All Grades	NSCAS Science All Grades	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							$16,945	$1,039	$13,180
St Libory Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	435 St Paul Road	Saint Libory	68872	Howard County	Northwest Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(308) 687-6475	161	12	13.4	36.0%	122 (75.8%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (23.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)								(n/a)						64.9					81.1		$16,160	$765	$14,802
St Paul Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1305 Howard Ave	Saint Paul	68873	Howard County	St Paul Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(308) 754-4433	390	30	13.0	29.0%	354 (90.8%)	5 (1.3%)	22 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.3%)	48.1	162^nd of 294 public elementary schools	44.9%		60.3	194^th of 428 public elementary schools	54.7%	32	62.5	53.1	40.9	64.9		56.1	77.1		59.1	82.5	73.2		$17,339	$668	$14,057
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
Elba Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	711 Caroline St	Elba	68835	Howard County	Elba Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(308) 863-2228	52	7	7.6		50 (96.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.8%)								(n/a)													$33,322	$2,826	$28,109
1r Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	3301 W One-R Road	Grand Island	68803	Hall County	Northwest Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(308) 385-6352	194	12	16.5	23.2%	174 (89.7%)	1 (0.5%)	19 (9.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	78.3			73.9	64.0	72.1					87.5	89.1	$11,895	$186	$11,213
Fullerton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	606 4th St	Fullerton	68638	Nance County	Fullerton Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(308) 536-2431	154	13	12.1	26.6%	139 (90.3%)	4 (2.6%)	9 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.3%)								(n/a)						74.4					87.8		$21,954	$1,749	$16,832
Knickrehm Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2013 N Oak St	Grand Island	68801	Hall County	Grand Island Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(308) 385-5927	263	17	15.7		61 (23.2%)	3 (1.1%)	189 (71.9%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.7%)								(n/a)						50.9		71.1	57.9		61.0		$20,623	$5,503	$13,168

Frequently Asked Questions about Palmer Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Palmer Elementary School?

Students at Palmer Elementary School are 90% White, 6% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Palmer Elementary School attend?

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

High : Palmer Junior-Senior High

How many students attend Palmer Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 184 students attended Palmer Elementary School.

What district is Palmer Elementary School in?

Palmer Public Schools

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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.