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Ponca Elementary School

Q: Is Ponca Elementary School a good school?

Ponca Elementary School ranks 57 th of 294 Nebraska elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-6

57^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 294 Nebraska Elementary Schools

Better than 81% of Nebraska elementary schools

Summary

Ponca Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades 3-6 in Ponca, Nebraska, with an enrollment of 118 students. The school has consistently received a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger, ranking it among the top 25% of elementary schools in the state.

Ponca Elementary School stands out for its strong academic performance, consistently outperforming the state average in proficiency across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 77.78% of 3rd graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 57.45%. The school also has relatively low chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 6.0% to 21.1% over the past few years, significantly lower than the 19.3% rate reported for nearby Emerson-Hubbard Elementary and the South Sioux City Community Schools. Additionally, Ponca Elementary School maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio, ranging from 10.9 to 11.6 over the past few years, lower than the ratios observed at nearby schools like Jackson Elementary (11.6) and Emerson-Hubbard Elementary (9.3).

Compared to nearby schools, Ponca Elementary School stands out in several key areas, such as academic performance, chronic absenteeism, and student-teacher ratio. This suggests that the school may be providing a higher-quality educational experience for its students. Given the school's strong performance, there may be opportunities for collaboration with nearby schools to share best practices and strategies for improving student outcomes, particularly for schools in the South Sioux City Community Schools district, which have generally lower academic performance and higher rates of chronic absenteeism.

128

Students ?

11.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,303

Per pupil spending ?

24.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

505 3rd St
Ponca, NE 68770-0568

(402) 755-5700

District: Ponca Public Schools

Students who attend Ponca Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Ponca High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

93.0%

African American:

2.3%

Hispanic:

2.3%

See top rated Nebraska elementary schools

Compare Ponca Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 88th percentile in 2022 → 81st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Nebraska average (81% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of Nebraska elementary schools

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 88th-percentile peak (2022) to 81st (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school81%

District avg75%

Nebraska avg58%

57^th of 294

Nebraska public elementary schools ?

Top 19%▲ up 8 pts since 2015

From top 28% (2015) to top 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Nebraska Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	77.7	57 of 294	80.6%	★★★★☆
2024	82.9	52 of 428	87.9%	★★★★☆
2023	74.9	100 of 459	78.2%	★★★★☆
2022	83.7	54 of 457	88.2%	★★★★☆
2021	74.8	89 of 442	79.9%	★★★★☆
2019	75.9	89 of 452	80.3%	★★★★☆
2018	74.0	95 of 450	78.9%	★★★★☆
2017	79.1	75 of 459	83.7%	★★★★☆
2016	69.5	121 of 480	74.8%	★★★★☆
2015	68.3	135 of 488	72.3%	★★★★☆
2014	58.3	199 of 483	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	46.7	287 of 485	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	25.0	402 of 480	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	24.9	400 of 473	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	43.1	357 of 502	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	44.5	351 of 471	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	48.8	334 of 478	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	59.3	205 of 430	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	59.2	191 of 418	54.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	68.0	106 of 349	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.4	76 of 337	77.4%	★★★★☆
2021	63.4	103 of 318	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.9	207 of 349	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	71.9	78 of 341	77.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	72.2	91 of 366	75.1%	★★★★☆
2022	68.6	95 of 356	73.3%	★★★★☆
2021	66.1	91 of 328	72.3%	★★★★☆
2019	73.8	72 of 367	80.4%	★★★★☆
2018	63.0	114 of 347	67.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	79.2	28 of 193	85.5%	★★★★☆
2023	64.5	122 of 385	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	77.5	58 of 388	85.1%	★★★★☆
2021	62.9	109 of 368	70.4%	★★★★☆
2019	67.1	107 of 391	72.6%	★★★★☆
2018	69.1	95 of 391	75.7%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2025)85th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2023)75th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2023)70th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Nebraska (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics87%+29 vs state

English Language Arts74%+16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ponca 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 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
Ponca Elementary School	Public	3-6	505 3rd St	Ponca	68770	Dixon County	Ponca Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 755-5700	128	11	11.9	24.2%	119 (93.0%)	3 (2.3%)	3 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	77.7	57^th of 294 public elementary schools	80.6%		82.9	52^nd of 428 public elementary schools	87.9%	5	77.8	71.4	70.0	78.6	74.4		80.0		86.8			$21,303	$600	$17,317
Jackson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	223 N John St	Jackson	68743	Dakota County	Ponca Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 632-4276	116	9	12.5	15.5%	112 (96.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)												$20,582	$1,827	$16,965
Allen Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	126 E 5th	Allen	68710	Dixon County	Allen Consolidated Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 635-2484	70	10	7.0	40.0%	67 (95.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)								(n/a)												$27,402	$773	$25,789
Lewis & Clark Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	801 2nd Ave	South Sioux City	68776	Dakota County	So Sioux City Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 494-1917	253	22	11.3	84.6%	25 (9.9%)	4 (1.6%)	201 (79.4%)	7 (2.8%)	7 (2.8%)	4 (1.6%)	5 (2.0%)								(n/a)					40.5				39.2			$18,385	$2,150	$15,362
Covington Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2116 A Street	South Sioux City	68776	Dakota County	So Sioux City Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 494-4238	408	34	12.0	74.5%	47 (11.5%)	67 (16.4%)	253 (62.0%)	4 (1.0%)	17 (4.2%)	11 (2.7%)	9 (2.2%)	16	263^rd of 294 public elementary schools	10.5%		34.8	311^th of 428 public elementary schools	27.3%	48	47.8	51.4			44.9		61.4	33.3	46.8			$15,882	$1,873	$12,977
Harney Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1001 Arbor Drive	South Sioux City	68776	Dakota County	So Sioux City Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 494-1446	328	32	10.2	76.2%	22 (6.7%)	82 (25.0%)	198 (60.4%)	6 (1.8%)	11 (3.4%)	2 (0.6%)	7 (2.1%)	28.1	232^nd of 294 public elementary schools	21.1%		61.3	186^th of 428 public elementary schools	56.5%	46	44.4	64.9	39.2		49.7	46.8	64.9	74.5	61.2	78.4	78.4	$17,484	$2,143	$14,265
Cardinal Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	820 E 29th Street	South Sioux City	68776	Dakota County	So Sioux City Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 494-1662	424	32	13.3	60.6%	65 (15.3%)	30 (7.1%)	295 (69.6%)	10 (2.4%)	9 (2.1%)	9 (2.1%)	6 (1.4%)	47.6	166^th of 294 public elementary schools	43.5%		54.2	234^th of 428 public elementary schools	45.3%	68	56.1	63.5	46.2		55.2	66.7	77.8	73.9	72.7	84.6	84.6	$16,673	$1,031	$14,521
Dakota City Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1801 Locust St	Dakota City	68731	Dakota County	So Sioux City Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 987-3363	246	23	10.8	66.7%	67 (27.2%)	5 (2.0%)	154 (62.6%)	14 (5.7%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	51.9	152^nd of 294 public elementary schools	48.3%		23.2	347^th of 428 public elementary schools	18.9%	195			68.1		52.5	50.0		78.7	61.5	83.0	83.0	$17,911	$1,154	$15,305
Emerson-Hubbard Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	109 W Third St	Emerson	68733	Dixon County	Emerson-Hubbard Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 695-2654	100	10	9.6	62.0%	73 (73.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (16.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (11.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					68.9				77.8			$23,641	$2,042	$19,352

Frequently Asked Questions about Ponca Elementary School

How many students attend Ponca Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 128 students attended Ponca Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Ponca Elementary School attend?

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

High : Ponca High School

What district is Ponca Elementary School in?

Ponca Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Ponca Elementary School?

Students at Ponca Elementary School are 93% White, 2% African American, 2% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

Is Ponca Elementary School a good school?

Ponca Elementary School ranks 57^th of 294 Nebraska elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Ponca Elementary School!

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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.