Enrollment
272
Elementary
DISTRICT 292 · STATE 272
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·KEARNEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 317239002265
BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY
6110 11TH AVENUE, KEARNEY, NE 68845 · (308) 698-8290 · Buffalo County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY32-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL272 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
16.6:1
16 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.8:1 · STATE 21.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
18%
48 students
DISTRICT 32% · STATE 37%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 11 | 4% |
| Kindergarten | 44 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 44 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 39 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 44 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 42 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 48 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (44) is 8% smaller than its 5th grade class (48).
Student demographics
21%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 39% · STATE 57% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
NSCAS 2024-25 . % On Track + AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
68.4%
NE avg 57.6%
Math
78.3%
NE avg 60.6%
What this means: On the NSCAS, Nebraska's statewide test, about 68 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 78 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Nebraska schools, those numbers are about 58 and 61.
Source: NSCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
73.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
70.2%
based on NE schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 74% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 70% typical for Nebraska schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Nebraska's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY
BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY's state test result (73.7% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY this school | 272 | 17.6% | 73.7% |
| ASHLAND-GREENWOOD INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL ASHLAND | 247 | 19.8% | 68.1% |
| YUTAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YUTAN | 272 | 20.6% | 72.1% |
| ASHLAND-GREENWOOD PRIMARY ELEMENTARY ASHLAND | 333 | 17.1% | N/A |
| ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AT SYRACUSE SYRACUSE | 277 | 17.3% | 63.8% |
| BATTLE CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BATTLE CREEK | 292 | 21.2% | 75.1% |
Matched among Nebraska elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Nebraska | In Buffalo County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 73.7% | #45 of 311 | #2 of 15 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 78.3% | #38 of 398 | #2 of 15 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 68.4% | #105 of 438 | #5 of 15 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 272 | #298 of 587 | #7 of 17 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.6:1 | #319 of 379 | #11 of 15 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 20.9% | #325 of 379 | #12 of 15 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 17.6% | #296 of 359 | #13 of 17 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -5.6% | #162 of 220 | #3 of 7 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
272
-32 (-11%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
16.6:1
was 16.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 272 | 16.4 | 16.6:1 | 18% (48) |
| 2023-24 | 298 | 18.9 | 15.8:1 | 26% (77) |
| 2022-23 | 316 | 19.5 | 16.2:1 | 21% (67) |
| 2020-21 | 304 | 19 | 16.0:1 | 21% (64) |
| 2017-18 | 288 | 15.5 | 18.6:1 | 16% (46) |
| 2015-16 | 215 | 11 | 19.6:1 | 15% (33) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY.
Since 2017-18: students down 6% (288 to 272); teachers up 6% (15.5 to 16.4).
About BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY
BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY is a medium-sized elementary school in KEARNEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, located in KEARNEY, Nebraska. Students in pre-K through 5 attend, and enrollment is 272 students.
KEARNEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS has 15 schools; together they serve 6,066 students.
White students are the large majority at BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY, with 89% of enrollment. Other groups make up 7% Hispanic and 4% multiracial. The county population is about 87% White, within a few points of the school. BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY has a diversity index of 21%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Staffing totals 16.4 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 16.6:1. For comparison, elementary schools in Nebraska average 21.0:1. A measure often used for student poverty, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, stands at 18%. That rate is below the 33% average among public schools in Buffalo County.
After adjusting for student poverty, BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY lands between the top and bottom 10% of Nebraska schools. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 73.7%; the prediction is 70.2%.
Among Buffalo County residents, median household income is about $75,911, roughly 34% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Federal data list 28 public schools in Buffalo County, with a combined enrollment of about 8,449.
Of nearby public schools, WINDY HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is the closest, at about 1.3 miles. The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8. Of 8 schools in the immediate area with test results, BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY ranks 2nd on average proficiency.
The federal government classifies BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY's location as Town: Distant.
Enrollment was 304 in 2020-21 and 272 in 2024-25, a decrease of 32 students.
Threads on this page can be about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Buffalo County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
50,579
Census ACS
Median income
$75,911
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
28
8,449 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in KEARNEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
- KEARNEY HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,663 students
- HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 648 students
- SUNRISE MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 536 students
- MEADOWLARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 417 students
- KENWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 398 students
- NORTHEAST ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 397 students
Other schools in KEARNEY
- KEARNEY HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,663 students
- HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 648 students
- SUNRISE MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 536 students
- MEADOWLARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 417 students
- KENWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 398 students
- NORTHEAST ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 397 students
Nearby schools
- WINDY HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.3 mi · 259
- GLENWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.4 mi · 118
- HANNY ARRAM CENTER1.4 mi · 2
- HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL1.6 mi · 648
- MEADOWLARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.7 mi · 417
- PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL2.0 mi · 257
Frequently asked questions
About BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARYWhat is the total enrollment at BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY?
BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 272 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY serve?
BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY?
Approximately 16.6:1 students per teacher at BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY.
What is the student diversity at BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY?
Student demographics at BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY are roughly 89% White, 7% Hispanic, 0% Black, 0% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY?
BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY is overseen by KEARNEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS in Buffalo County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.