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Southwest High School

Q: Is Southwest High School a good school?

Southwest High School ranks 57 th of 146 Nebraska high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

57^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 146 Nebraska High Schools

Better than 61% of Nebraska high schools

Summary

Southwest High School is a public high school located in Lincoln, Nebraska, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 2,049 students. It is part of the Lincoln Public Schools district, which is ranked 95 out of 115 districts in Nebraska and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. However, Southwest High School has a strong performance history, ranking between 38th and 82nd out of over 200 Nebraska high schools in recent years and earning 3-4 out of 5 SchoolDigger stars.

One of the key factors that sets Southwest High School apart is its consistent academic performance. The school consistently outperforms the Lincoln Public Schools district and the state of Nebraska in ACT proficiency rates across English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. For example, in 2024-2025, 54.03% of Southwest students were proficient or better in ACT English Language Arts, compared to 41.46% for Lincoln Public Schools and 42.74% for Nebraska. Additionally, Southwest High School has maintained high 4-year graduation rates, ranging from 84.5% to 95.3% in recent years, which are above the district and state averages.

When compared to other high schools in the Lincoln Public Schools district, Southwest High School stands out as a higher-performing school. For instance, Lincoln High School and Standing Bear High School have lower statewide rankings, lower ACT proficiency rates, and higher chronic absenteeism rates than Southwest High School. Despite serving a more diverse student population, Southwest High School has a higher per-student spending, which may contribute to its strong academic performance.

2,110

Students ?

19.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,688

Per pupil spending ?

22.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7001 S 14th St
Lincoln, NE 68512-9200

(402) 436-1306

District: Lincoln Public Schools

Feeder schools for Southwest High School:

Elementary:	Adams Elementary School
	Beattie Elementary School
	Cavett Elementary School
	Hill Elementary School
Middle:	Scott Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.3%

Hispanic:

10.5%

Two or more races:

7.4%

See top rated Nebraska high schools

Compare Southwest High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 64th percentile in 2015 → 61st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Nebraska average (56% vs 44% meeting standards)

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the Nebraska average (88%)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Lincoln Public Schools

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school56%

District avg44%

Nebraska avg44%

57^th of 146

Nebraska public high schools ?

Top 39%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Nebraska High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 8High Schools in the Lincoln Public Schools

96^th of 118Lincoln 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	63.1	57 of 146	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.2	73 of 168	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.8	63 of 215	70.7%	★★★★☆
2022	69.9	51 of 202	74.8%	★★★★☆
2021	78.5	38 of 209	81.8%	★★★★☆
2019	72.3	51 of 217	76.5%	★★★★☆
2018	61.9	82 of 219	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	79.6	33 of 219	84.9%	★★★★☆
2016	64.0	90 of 246	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	60.2	88 of 242	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	53.4	126 of 247	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	45.4	154 of 247	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	36.7	183 of 245	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	44.0	160 of 252	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	51.3	144 of 249	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	60.0	107 of 251	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	58.9	109 of 252	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	65.6	72 of 247	70.9%	★★★★☆
2006	58.1	107 of 249	57.0%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2022	60.8	7 of 12	41.7%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2024	81.9	1 of 11	90.9%	★★★★★
2023	53.4	7 of 13	46.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.9	5 of 12	58.3%	★★★★☆
2021	58.1	6 of 14	57.1%	★★★★☆
2019	67.8	6 of 16	62.5%	★★★★☆
2018	53.2	6 of 12	50.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2019	95.4	3 of 26	88.5%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	70.4	22 of 66	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.5	42 of 93	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.2	52 of 136	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.3	36 of 132	72.7%	★★★★☆
2021	64.0	47 of 138	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.0	48 of 142	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.0	63 of 144	56.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	81.7	7 of 28	75.0%	★★★★☆
2024	70.5	9 of 33	72.7%	★★★★☆
2023	96.5	3 of 41	92.7%	★★★★★
2022	72.5	10 of 41	75.6%	★★★★☆
2021	75.6	8 of 38	78.9%	★★★★☆
2019	82.1	8 of 43	81.4%	★★★★☆
2018	62.9	11 of 41	73.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	59.9	15 of 41	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.9	26 of 62	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.1	35 of 89	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.8	42 of 74	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	61.0	22 of 83	73.5%	★★★★☆
2019	47.1	35 of 82	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.3	40 of 79	49.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	70.1	22 of 66	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.9	41 of 93	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.6	46 of 135	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.3	46 of 135	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	82.2	18 of 130	86.2%	★★★★☆
2019	73.7	37 of 140	73.6%	★★★★☆
2018	63.0	45 of 138	67.4%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	20.4	5 of 7	28.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.4	6 of 15	60.0%	★★★★☆
2022	43.1	7 of 16	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.6	6 of 15	60.0%	★★★★☆
2019	45.2	8 of 15	46.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.3	5 of 15	66.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2022	38.3	5 of 6	16.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.3	8 of 13	38.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	70.4	31 of 113	72.6%	★★★★☆
2024	58.9	53 of 125	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.2	57 of 206	72.3%	★★★★☆
2022	70.6	48 of 196	75.5%	★★★★☆
2021	78.1	34 of 200	83.0%	★★★★☆
2019	70.7	49 of 207	76.3%	★★★★☆
2018	62.3	75 of 205	63.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

Asian (2024)91st percentile+34 vs school

English Language Learner (2019)88th percentile+12 vs school

Hispanic (2025)75th percentile+14 vs school

White (2025)73rd percentile+12 vs school

Female (2025)67th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)67th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)63rd percentile~ school

African American (2022)42nd percentile-33 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)29th percentile-32 vs school

Special Education (2022)17th percentile-58 vs school

By subject vs Nebraska (2024-2025) ?

Science59%+11 vs state

Mathematics57%+15 vs state

English Language Arts54%+11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Southwest High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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	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
Southwest High School	Public	9-12	7001 S 14th St	Lincoln	68512	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1306	2,110	107	19.7	22.2%	1,546 (73.3%)	101 (4.8%)	221 (10.5%)	81 (3.8%)	5 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	156 (7.4%)	63.1	57^th of 146 public high schools	61.0%		58.2	73^rd of 168 public high schools	56.5%	16	54.0	56.6	58.7	$13,688	$582	$11,054
Pathfinder Educational Prg-Lancaster County	Public	7-12	1200 Radcliff St	Lincoln	68512	Lancaster County	Pathfinder Educational Prg-Lancaster County	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 441-6817	0	5	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Special Educational Yankee Hill Program	Public	9-12	865 W Burnham	Lincoln	68522	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1927	0	11	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Lincoln Southeast High School	Public	9-12	2930 S 37th St	Lincoln	68506	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1304	1,848	107	17.2	35.2%	1,238 (67.0%)	94 (5.1%)	245 (13.3%)	34 (1.8%)	15 (0.8%)	4 (0.2%)	218 (11.8%)	42.4	95^th of 146 public high schools	34.9%		61.2	70^th of 168 public high schools	58.3%	25	45.3	48.4	51.1	$15,300	$632	$12,255
Child Guidance School	Public	7-12	904 Sumner St	Lincoln	68502	Lancaster County	Child Guidance School	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 434-2670	0	2	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
High School Student Support Program	Public	9-12	1801 South 40th Street	Lincoln	68506	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1694	0	4	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Science Focus Program	Public	9-12	1222 S 27th St	Lincoln	68502	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1780	0	5	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Lincoln High School	Public	9-12	2229 J St	Lincoln	68510	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1301	2,086	151	13.7	59.8%	836 (40.1%)	290 (13.9%)	569 (27.3%)	162 (7.8%)	26 (1.2%)	1 (0.0%)	202 (9.7%)	14.6	127^th of 146 public high schools	13.0%		15.6	146^th of 168 public high schools	13.1%	19	32.9	33.3	38.7	$18,984	$3,060	$13,569
Arts & Humanities Focus Prgm	Public	9-12	643 S 25th Ste 9	Lincoln	68510	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1785	0	5	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Standing Bear High School	Public	9-12	11100 South 70th Street	Lincoln	68516	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(402) 436-1315	631	40	15.9	16.2%	509 (80.7%)	17 (2.7%)	43 (6.8%)	14 (2.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (7.1%)	25.7	116^th of 146 public high schools	20.5%					(n/a)	32.5	43.9	45.6	$31,156	$931	$21,225

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwest High School

What is the racial makeup of Southwest High School?

Students at Southwest High School are 73% White, 10% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 5% African American, 4% Asian.

What district is Southwest High School in?

Lincoln Public Schools

Is Southwest High School a good school?

Southwest High School ranks 57^th of 146 Nebraska high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Southwest High School?

Southwest High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Adams Elementary School
Elementary : Beattie Elementary School
Elementary : Cavett Elementary School
Elementary : Hill Elementary School
Middle : Scott Middle School

How many students attend Southwest High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,110 students attended Southwest High School.

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Schools in Lincoln, 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.