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Central City Elementary School

Q: Is Central City Elementary School a good school?

Central City Elementary School ranks 80 th of 294 Nebraska elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

80^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 294 Nebraska Elementary Schools

Better than 73% of Nebraska elementary schools

Summary

Central City Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 317 students in grades PK-4 in Central City, Nebraska, which is part of the Central City Public Schools district.

The school has shown strong academic performance, particularly in English Language Arts and Mathematics. In the 2024-2025 school year, 87.5% of 3rd graders and 64.41% of 4th graders were proficient or better in ELA, outperforming the state average. Similarly, 79.17% of 3rd graders and 74.58% of 4th graders were proficient or better in Mathematics, exceeding the state average. However, the school has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism rates, from 5.3% in 2020-2021 to 19.3% in 2024-2025, which is an area the school and district should focus on improving.

Compared to nearby schools, St. Libory Elementary School and Hampton Elementary School, Central City Elementary School generally performs better academically, particularly in ELA and Mathematics. The school also spends more per student ($18,077 in 2023-2024) than the state average, which may contribute to its academic success. However, the school's performance has been somewhat inconsistent over the past several years, suggesting the need for more consistent and effective strategies to maintain and improve its academic performance.

327

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,077

Per pupil spending ?

40.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1711 15th Ave
Central City, NE 68826-0057

(308) 946-3057

District: Central City Public Schools

Students who attend Central City Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Central City Middle School
High:	Central City High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

88.1%

Hispanic:

6.7%

Two or more races:

3.1%

See top rated Nebraska elementary schools

Compare Central City Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 16th percentile in 2015 → 73rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Nebraska average (76% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 57 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Nebraska median (73rd percentile)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school76%

District avg73%

Nebraska avg58%

80^th of 294

Nebraska public elementary schools ?

Top 27%▲ up 57 pts since 2015

From bottom 16% (2015) to top 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Nebraska Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

34^th of 118Central City Public Schools among Nebraska districts

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
2025	72.0	80 of 294	72.8%	★★★★☆
2024	57.8	219 of 428	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.8	179 of 459	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.2	210 of 457	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.5	256 of 442	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.8	271 of 452	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.5	252 of 450	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	28.1	367 of 459	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	28.7	386 of 480	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	22.3	409 of 488	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	19.9	428 of 483	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	23.3	412 of 485	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	25.3	399 of 480	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	46.4	270 of 473	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	51.5	274 of 502	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	34.1	417 of 471	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	48.5	337 of 478	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	45.3	284 of 430	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	7.3	407 of 418	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2024	55.1	105 of 203	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.2	143 of 349	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.2	113 of 337	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.6	200 of 318	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.2	222 of 349	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.9	208 of 341	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	73.2	56 of 312	82.1%	★★★★☆
2022	45.3	148 of 259	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	59.2	107 of 264	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.3	158 of 298	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.1	142 of 281	49.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2024	49.4	115 of 203	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	64.9	118 of 366	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.0	232 of 356	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.0	197 of 328	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.7	232 of 367	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.8	163 of 347	53.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	76.8	35 of 193	81.9%	★★★★☆
2023	48.6	205 of 385	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.1	227 of 388	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.3	270 of 368	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.9	310 of 391	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.2	265 of 391	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)82nd percentile+21 vs school

White (2025)82nd percentile+9 vs school

Female (2024)48th percentile~ school

Male (2024)43rd percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Nebraska (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics77%+19 vs state

English Language Arts75%+16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central City 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 All Grades	NSCAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 4th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 5th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics All Grades	NSCAS Science 5th Grade	NSCAS Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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
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			$31,308	$1,556	$24,788
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
Hampton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	458 5th St	Hampton	68843	Hamilton County	Hampton Public School	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 725-3116	112	10	11.1	18.8%	101 (90.2%)	2 (1.8%)	8 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)								(n/a)				78.0				88.0			$21,203	$1,117	$16,844
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
Aurora Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	300 H St	Aurora	68818	Hamilton County	Aurora Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 694-6923	520	39	13.4	29.8%	452 (86.9%)	1 (0.2%)	52 (10.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.5%)	68	96^th of 294 public elementary schools	67.3%		84.7	42^nd of 428 public elementary schools	90.2%	54	66.3	69.3	69.8	68.4	75.3	70.5	77.9	74.5	90.7	90.7	$15,305	$495	$13,383
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Central City Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Central City Elementary School?

Students at Central City Elementary School are 88% White, 7% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of Central City Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Central City Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Central City Middle School
High : Central City High School

Is Central City Elementary School a good school?

Central City Elementary School ranks 80^th of 294 Nebraska elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Central City Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 327 students attended Central City Elementary School.

What district is Central City Elementary School in?

Central City Public Schools

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Schools in Central City, NE

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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.