Best public high schools in Nebraska

As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a '96 commencement address at Wellesley College, "Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead." If that's the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.

It's a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.6 million students enrolled in public pre-K-12 schools in fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.

For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.

Stacker compiled a list of the best public high schools in Nebraska using 2027 rankings from Niche. Niche uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students. You can read more about Niche's methodology here.

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#25. Seward High School

- Location: Seward Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 511 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#24. North Bend Central Junior/Senior High School

- Location: North Bend Central Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 174 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#23. Milford High School

- Location: Milford Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 379 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#22. West Holt High School

- Location: West Holt Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 208 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#21. Yutan High School

- Location: Yutan Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 219 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#20. Crofton High School

- Location: Crofton Community Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 171 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#19. Hartington-Newcastle High School

- Location: Hartington Newcastle Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 170 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#18. O'Neill High School

- Location: O'Neill Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 338 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#17. Bellevue West High School

- Location: Bellevue Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 1,529 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#16. Chadron Senior High School

- Location: Chadron Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 242 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#15. Chase County High School

- Location: Chase County Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 208 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#14. High School at Syracuse

- Location: Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 228 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#13. Papillion La Vista South High School

- Location: Papillion-La Vista School District, NE
- Enrollment: 2,038 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#12. Wayne High School

- Location: Wayne Community Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 323 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#11. Papillion La Vista Senior High School

- Location: Papillion-La Vista School District, NE
- Enrollment: 1,867 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#10. Westside High School

- Location: Westside Community Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 2,145 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#9. Lincoln Southeast High School

- Location: Lincoln Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 1,848 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#8. Millard West High School

- Location: Millard Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 2,344 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#7. Southwest High School

- Location: Lincoln Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 2,110 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#6. Adams Central Junior/Senior High School

- Location: Adams Central Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 452 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#5. Elkhorn High School

- Location: Elkhorn Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 769 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#4. Lincoln East High School

- Location: Lincoln Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 1,982 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#3. Elkhorn North High School

- Location: Elkhorn Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 1,050 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#2. Millard North High School

- Location: Millard Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 2,572 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#1. Elkhorn South High School

- Location: Elkhorn Public Schools, NE
- Enrollment: 1,434 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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