Nebraska school safety

City and district rankings from federal incident data · 2021-22 collection

1,098SCHOOLS

618WITH TRUSTED DATA

17RANKED CITIES

The clearest thing about this state's records is how few of them left us guessing. Of the 1,098 Nebraska schools in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection, 47 reported so little for their size that we grade their reporting doubtful — 4.3% of the state, against 11.3% of schools nationally. Nebraska schools, as a group, filled out the federal form.

That is a statement about paperwork, not about children. Our comparison is national and is not adjusted for state. When one state's reporting looks better than another's, what differs is how districts count and file incidents, not how safe the buildings are. Read the low number as confidence in the records, and nothing more.

What you can do with this page is look up a school and see whether its report holds up. 618 Nebraska schools have a published safety score. Those are the A and B grades — records complete enough that comparing them to other schools means something. Each school is measured against roughly 1,500 schools nationwide closest to it in enrollment that teach the same grade levels, and against a deliberately low bar: the 25th percentile of incident rates among peers that reported anything. A C means the school reported almost nothing but is small enough that a genuine zero is common — not evidence of safety, but not implausible. D and E mean schools of that size normally report several incidents, or ten or more, and this one reported almost none. That is a records problem. It is not a finding about danger.

Why most districts here are not ranked

Nebraska has 272 school districts. Nineteen of them have enough scoreable schools to rank at all. The rest are mostly too small for the method to say anything — a district made of a few small schools tends to land in the C range, where we publish no score. Among the 19, Hastings Public Schools ranks safer than 93% of ranked US districts, with 7 of the 7 schools in its scored set complete enough to score. Kearney Public Schools is safer than 80% of ranked districts, with 12 of 15. Sidney Public Schools, 78%, with 5 of 7. Norfolk Public Schools, 76%, with 10 of 11. Omaha Public Schools, 70%, with 85 of 107.

Safest ranked cities in Nebraska

Percentile is against all ranked U.S. cities (higher = safer). Only cities with ≥5 trustworthy-data schools are ranked. Home value is Zillow's ZHVI.

#	CITY	SAFETY PCTL	SCHOOLS	HOME VALUE
1	Hastings	87	8 of 10	$209,042
2	Kearney	84	12 of 16	$319,176
3	Sidney	83	5 of 7	$180,045
4	Norfolk	81	10 of 11	$264,593
5	Elkhorn	77	7 of 11	—
6	Lincoln	75	64 of 76	$297,539
7	Omaha	67	139 of 176	$300,783
8	Bellevue	66	20 of 28	$302,976
9	Scottsbluff	66	6 of 12	$190,140
10	Columbus	64	6 of 11	$275,125
11	Gretna	59	5 of 6	$432,240
12	Bennington	42	6 of 6	$414,768
13	Fremont	33	10 of 12	$261,080
14	Grand Island	22	19 of 25	$258,203
15	Papillion	12	14 of 16	$415,721
16	So Sioux City	5	5 of 7	—
17	La Vista	4	5 of 5	$313,990

Safest ranked districts

#	DISTRICT	SAFETY PCTL	SCHOOLS
1	Hastings Public Schools	93	7 of 7
2	Kearney Public Schools	80	12 of 15
3	Sidney Public Schools	78	5 of 7
4	Norfolk Public Schools	76	10 of 11
5	Omaha Public Schools	70	85 of 107
6	Lincoln Public Schools	69	64 of 74
7	Columbus Public Schools	68	5 of 8
8	Bellevue Public Schools	62	18 of 21
9	Elkhorn Public Schools	61	15 of 20
10	Scottsbluff Public Schools	58	7 of 8
11	Millard Public Schools	54	35 of 36
12	Westside Community Schools	43	6 of 12
13	Bennington Public Schools	39	6 of 6
14	Gretna Public Schools	37	6 of 10
15	Fremont Public Schools	30	10 of 12
16	Grand Island Public Schools	19	18 of 21
17	Papillion La Vista Community Schools	9	21 of 22
18	Ralston Public Schools	8	8 of 8
19	So Sioux City Community Schs	7	6 of 8

Every Nebraska city with schools

Adams Ainsworth Albion Allen Alliance Alma Amherst Ansley Arapahoe Arcadia Arlington Arnold Arthur Ashland Atkinson Auburn Aurora Axtell Bancroft Bartlett Bartley Bassett Battle Creek Bayard Beatrice Bellevue Bellwood Benkelman Bennet Bennington Bertrand Big Springs Bladen Blair Bloomfield Blue Hill Blue Spring Blue Springs Boys Town Brady Brainard Bridgeport Broken Bow Bruning Burwell Butte Cairo Callaway Cambridge Cedar Bluffs Cedar Rapids Central City Ceresco Chadron Chambers Chappell Clarks Clarkson Clearwater Cody Coleridge Columbus Cook Cozad Crawford Creighton Crete Crofton Culbertson Curtis Dakota City Dalton Davenport David City Daykin Deshler Dewitt Diller Dix Dodge Doniphan Dorchester Dunning Dwight Eagle Elba Elgin Elkhorn Elm Creek Elmwood Elwood Emerson Eustis Ewing Exeter Fairbury Fairfield Fairmont Falls City Firth Fort Calhoun Franklin Fremont Friend Fullerton Geneva Genoa Gering Gibbon Giltner Gordon Gothenburg Grand Island Grant Greeley Gretna Gurley Halsey Hampton Harrisburg Harrison Hartington Harvard Hastings Hay Springs Hayes Center Hebron Hemingford Henderson Hershey Hildreth Holdrege Homer Hooper Howells Humboldt Humphrey Hyannis Imperial Indianola Jackson Johnson Juniata Kearney Kenesaw Kilgore Kimball La Vista Laurel Lavista Lawrence Leigh Lewiston Lexington Lincoln Lindsay Litchfield Loomis Louisville Loup City Lynch Lyons Macy Madison Malcolm Marsland Maxwell Maywood Mc Cook Mccook Mccool Junction Mead Merna Milford Milligan Minatare Minden Mitchell Morrill Mullen Murdock Murray Nebraska City Neligh Nelson Newcastle Newman Grove Niobrara Norfolk North Bend North Platte O'Neill Oakland Odell Ogallala Omah Omaha Orchard Ord Osceola Oshkosh Osmond Overton Oxford Palisade Palmer Palmyra Papillion Pawnee City Paxton Pender Petersburg Pierce Plainview Platte Center Plattsmouth Pleasanton Polk Ponca Potter Ralston Randolph Ravenna Raymond Red Cloud Richland Roseland Rushville Sargent Schuyler Scotia Scottsbluff Scribner Seward Shelby Shelton Shickley Sidney So Sioux City Spalding Spencer Springfield Springview St Edward St Libory St Paul Stanton Stapleton Sterling Stratton Stromsburg Stuart Sumner Superior Sutherland Sutton Syracuse Table Rock Taylor Tecumseh Tekamah Thedford Tilden Trenton Tryon Utica Valentine Valley Valparaiso Verdigre Wahoo Wakefield Wallace Walthill Wauneta Wausa Waverly Wayne Weeping Water West Point Wilber Wilcox Winnebago Winside Wisner Wolbach Wood River Wymore Wynot York Yutan

Every Nebraska school district

Adams Central Public Schools Ainsworth Community Schools Alegent/Immanuel Rtc Allen Consolidated Schools Alliance Public Schools Alma Public Schools Amherst Public Schools Anselmo-Merna Public Schools Ansley Public Schools Arapahoe Public Schools Arcadia Public Schools Arlington Public Schools Arnold Public Schools Arthur County Schools Ashland-Greenwood Public Schs Auburn Public Schools Aurora Public Schools Axtell Community Schools Bancroft-Rosalie Comm Schools Banner County Public Schools Battle Creek Public Schools Bayard Public Schools Beatrice Public Schools Bellevue Public Schools Bennington Public Schools Bertrand Public Schools Blair Community Schools Bloomfield Community Schools Blue Hill Community Schools Boone Central Schools Boyd County Schools Boys Town Interim Prg Schs Brady Public Schools Bridgeport Public Schools Broken Bow Public Schools Bruning-Davenport Unified Sys Burwell Public Schools Callaway Public Schools Cambridge Public Schools Cedar Bluffs Public Schools Centennial Public Schools Central City Public Schools Central Valley Public Schools Centura Public Schools Chadron Public Schools Chambers Public Schools Chase County Schools Child Guidance School Clarkson Public Schools Cody-Kilgore Public Schs Columbus Public Schools Conestoga Public Schools Cozad Community Schools Crawford Public Schools Creek Valley Schools Creighton Community Public Schools Crete Public Schools Crofton Community Schools Cross County Community Schools David City Public Schools Deshler Public Schools Diller-Odell Public Schools Doniphan-Trumbull Public Schs Dorchester Public School Douglas Co West Community Schs Douglas County Youth Center Dundy Co Stratton Public Schs East Butler Public Schools Educational Service Unit 01 Educational Service Unit 02 Educational Service Unit 03 Educational Service Unit 04 Educational Service Unit 05 Educational Service Unit 07 Educational Service Unit 08 Educational Service Unit 09 Educational Service Unit 13 Educational Service Unit 15 Elba Public Schools Elgin Public Schools Elkhorn Public Schools Elkhorn Valley Schools Elm Creek Public Schools Elmwood-Murdock Public Schools Elwood Public Schools Emerson-Hubbard Public Schools Eustis-Farnam Public Schools Exeter-Milligan Public Schools Fairbury Public Schools Falls City Public Schools Fillmore Central Public Schs Fort Calhoun Community Schs Franklin Public Schools Freeman Public Schools Fremont Public Schools Friend Public Schools Fullerton Public Schools Garden County Schools Gering Public Schools Gibbon Public Schools Giltner Public Schools Gordon-Rushville Public Schs Gothenburg Public Schools Grand Island Public Schools Gretna Public Schools Hampton Public School Hartington Newcastle Public Schools Harvard Public Schools Hastings Public Schools Hay Springs Public Schools Hayes Center Public Schools Heartland Community Schools Hemingford Public Schools Hershey Public Schools High Plains Community Schools Hitchcock Co Sch System Holdrege Public Schools Homer Community Schools Howells-Dodge Consolidated Schools Humboldt Table Rock Steinauer Humphrey Public Schools Hyannis Area Schools Isanti Community School Johnson Co Central Public Schs Johnson-Brock Public Schools Kearney Public Schools Kenesaw Public Schools Keya Paha County Schools Kimball Public Schools Lakeview Community Schools Laurel-Concord-Coleridge School Leigh Community Schools Lewiston Consolidated Schools Lexington Public Schools Leyton Public Schools Lincoln Public Schools Litchfield Public Schools Logan View Public Schools Loomis Public Schools Louisville Public Schools Loup City Public Schools Loup County Public Schools Lyons-Decatur Northeast Schs Madison Public Schools Malcolm Public Schools Maxwell Public Schools Maywood Public Schools Mc Cook Public Schools Mc Cool Junction Public Schs Mc Pherson County Schools Mead Public Schools Medicine Valley Public Schools Meridian Public Schools Milford Public Schools Millard Public Schools Minatare Public Schools Minden Public Schools Mitchell Public Schools Morrill Public Schools Morton School Mullen Public Schools Ncyf Community High School Nebraska City Public Schools Nebraska Youth Academy Neligh-Oakdale Schools Newman Grove Public Schools Niobrara Public Schools Norfolk Public Schools Norris School Dist 160 North Bend Central Public Schs North Platte Public Schools Northeast Ne Juvenile Services Northwest Public Schools Nova Alternative School O'Neill Public Schools Oakland Craig Public Schools Ogallala Public Schools Omaha Home For Boys School Omaha Public Schools Ord Public Schools Osceola Public Schools Osmond Community Schools Overton Public Schools Palmer Public Schools Palmyra District O R 1 Papillion La Vista Community Schools Pathfinder Ed Prg-Lancaster Co Patrick J Thomas Juvenile Justice Cntr Pawnee City Public Schools Paxton Consolidated Schools Pender Public Schools Perkins County Schools Pierce Public Schools Pine Ridge Job Corps Plainview Public Schools Plattsmouth Community Schools Pleasanton Public Schools Ponca Public Schools Potter-Dix Public Schools Ralston Public Schools Randolph Public Schools Ravenna Public Schools Raymond Central Public Schools Red Cloud Community Schools Riverside Public Schools Rock County Public Schools Sandhills Public Schools Sargent Public Schools Schuyler Community Schools Scottsbluff Public Schools Scribner-Snyder Community Schs Seward Public Schools Shelby - Rising City Public Schools Shelton Public Schools Shickley Public Schools Sidney Public Schools Silver Lake Public Schools Sioux County Public Schools So Sioux City Community Schs South Central Nebraska Unified 5 South Platte Public Schools Southern School District 1 Southern Valley Schools Southwest Public Schools Springfield Platteview Community Schools St Edward Public Schools St Paul Public Schools Stanton Community Schools Stapleton Public Schools Sterling Public Schools Stuart Public Schools Summerland Public Schools Sumner-Eddyville-Miller Schs Superior Public Schools Sutherland Public Schools Sutton Public Schools Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca Schools Tekamah-Herman Community Schs Thayer Central Community Schs Thedford Public Schools Tri County Public Schools Twin River Public Schools Umo N Ho N Nation Public Schs University Of Nebraska High School Uta Halee Academy Program Valentine Community Schools Verdigre Public Schools Wahoo Public Schools Wakefield Public Schools Wallace Public Sch Dist 65 R Walthill Public Schools Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs Wausa Public Schools Waverly School District 145 Wayne Community Schools Weeping Water Public Schools West Hastings Schools (Dhhs)West Holt Public Schools West Kearney High School West Point Public Schools Westside Community Schools Wheeler Central Schools Wilber-Clatonia Public Schools Wilcox-Hildreth Public Schools Winnebago Public Schools District 17 Winside Public Schools Wisner-Pilger Public Schools Wood River Rural Schools Wynot Public Schools York Public Schools Youth Care And Beyond Learning Center Yutan Public Schools