U.S. News & World Report Recognizes Seven Kearney Public Schools
Among the 2024 Best Elementary and Middle Schools in Nebraska
Washington, D.C. – Seven Kearney Schools have been ranked among the 2024 Best Elementary and Middle School rankings by U.S. News & World Report. The ranking focuses on state assessments of students who were proficient or above proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts while accounting for student backgrounds, achievement in core subjects, and how well schools are educating their students. The rankings include more than 79,000 public elementary and middle schools across the country.
Five KPS elementary schools were ranked among the top 10% of the 2024 Best in Nebraska: Park, Meadowlark, Windy Hills, and Buffalo Hills. Central Elementary was in the top 20%. There are 490 Nebraska elementary schools.
Sunrise and Horizon Middle Schools were in the top 21% of all 175 Nebraska Middle Schools.
"Being recognized by U.S. News & World Report as some of the 2024 Best Elementary and Middle Schools in Nebraska is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our students, teachers, staff, and the entire Kearney community,” states Jason Mundorf, KPS Superintendent. “These rankings reflect our commitment to providing high-quality education and fostering a supportive learning environment. We are proud of the achievements of our schools and will continue striving for excellence in education for all our students."
The 2024 Best Elementary and Best Middle Schools rankings are based on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. For district-level rankings, at least two of the top-performing schools must rank in the top 75% of the overall elementary or middle school rankings to qualify for district-level recognition.
Each of the seven schools received a plaque and banner to display their designation.
“The 2024 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings offer a way for parents to get a snapshot of their child’s school and how well it is doing compared with other schools in their community," said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News. “In addition, U.S. News provides easily accessible data on student-teacher ratios, district spending, and the number of counselors a school makes available to its students.”