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Northwest High School

Public Grades 9-12

121^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 146 Nebraska High Schools

Better than 17% of Nebraska high schools

Summary

Northwest High School is a public high school located in Lincoln, Nebraska, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 902 students. The school is part of the Lincoln Public Schools district, which is ranked 95 out of 115 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Over the past few years, Northwest High School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Nebraska high schools, with a ranking of 121 out of 146 schools in the 2024-2025 school year, 161 out of 168 schools in 2023-2024, and 207 out of 215 schools in 2022-2023.

Northwest High School faces significant challenges in terms of student achievement, graduation rates, and overall school performance. The school has seen a decline in its four-year graduation rates, from 88.1% in 2023-2024 to 80.8% in 2024-2025, which is lower than the district and state averages. Additionally, Northwest High School has a high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 19.3% to 39.9% over the past few years, significantly higher than the district and state averages. Academically, Northwest High School students consistently underperform their peers in the district and state on ACT assessments, with only 36.14% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts, 36.14% in Mathematics, and 41.37% in Science in 2024-2025.

When comparing Northwest High School to other high schools in the Lincoln Public Schools district, such as North Star High School and Lincoln High School, it becomes evident that Northwest High School is underperforming. These nearby schools have higher graduation rates, lower chronic absenteeism, and better academic performance on ACT assessments. Additionally, the University of Nebraska High School, a public virtual high school located relatively close to Northwest High School, may provide an alternative option for students and families seeking a different educational environment.

1,017

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,803

Per pupil spending ?

43%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4901 West Holdrege Street
Lincoln, NE 68524

(402) 436-1314

District: Lincoln Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.3%

Hispanic:

19.3%

Two or more races:

10.8%

See top rated Nebraska high schools

Compare Northwest High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 4th percentile in 2023 → 17th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 13 percentile points since 2023

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Nebraska average (38% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Nebraska average (81% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

District avg44%

Nebraska avg44%

121^st of 146

Nebraska public high schools ?

Bottom 17%▲ up 13 pts since 2023

From bottom 4% (2023) to bottom 17% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Nebraska High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th 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	19.4	121 of 146	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	4.3	161 of 168	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.7	207 of 215	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	26.1	47 of 66	28.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	5.2	88 of 93	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.7	131 of 136	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	18.8	37 of 41	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	29.9	29 of 41	29.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	18.5	53 of 62	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.1	79 of 89	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	32.5	44 of 66	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	12.4	84 of 93	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.9	124 of 135	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	21.4	95 of 113	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	4.3	121 of 125	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.2	193 of 206	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2025)33rd percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)29th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2025)29th percentile+12 vs school

White (2025)16th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2023)10th percentile+6 vs school

By subject vs Nebraska (2024-2025) ?

Science41%-6 vs state

English Language Arts36%-7 vs state

Mathematics36%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Northwest High School

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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)				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	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
Northwest High School	Public	9-12	4901 West Holdrege Street	Lincoln	68524	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(402) 436-1314	1,017	67	15.2	43.0%	573 (56.3%)	103 (10.1%)	196 (19.3%)	26 (2.6%)	9 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	110 (10.8%)	19.4	121^st of 146 public high schools	17.1%		4.3	161^st of 168 public high schools	4.2%	40	36.1	36.1	41.4	$17,803	$286	$14,428
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)
University Of Nebraska High School	Public, Virtual	7-12	1500 "u" Street; Ste 200	Lincoln	68588	Lancaster County	University Of Nebraska High School	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	No	(402) 472-4338	165	20	8.4		161 (97.6%)	4 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
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)
Bay High Focus Program	Public	9-12	2005 Y Street	Lincoln	68503	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(402) 436-1317	0	3	.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	$17,303	$238	$14,574
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)
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)
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)
North Star High School	Public	9-12	5801 N 33rd St	Lincoln	68504	Lancaster County	Lincoln Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 436-1305	1,927	120	16.1	53.5%	956 (49.6%)	212 (11.0%)	429 (22.3%)	133 (6.9%)	14 (0.7%)	5 (0.3%)	178 (9.2%)	11.9	130^th of 146 public high schools	11.0%		14.9	148^th of 168 public high schools	11.9%	18	29.4	34.0	35.0	$15,393	$271	$12,725

Frequently Asked Questions about Northwest High School

What district is Northwest High School in?

Lincoln Public Schools

Is Northwest High School a good school?

Northwest High School ranks in the bottom 17.1% of Nebraska high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Northwest High School?

Students at Northwest High School are 56% White, 19% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 10% African American, 3% Asian.

How many students attend Northwest High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,017 students attended Northwest High School.

Rate Northwest High School!

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Schools in Lincoln, NE

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Latest Nebraska data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataNov 29, 2025

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 29, 2025

2024–25 ACT test scoresNov 29, 2025

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.