BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY

Set in KEARNEY, Nebraska, BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY is a reasonably sized primary school, one of the schools within KEARNEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. It hosts 272 students across grades pre-K through 5.

KEARNEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS comprises 15 schools with combined enrollment of 6,066 students; BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY is among them.

Demographically, BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY reports that nearly all students (89%) are White. The remainder breaks down as 7% Hispanic, 4% multiracial. That composition is broadly in line with Buffalo County as a whole.

On the resource side, BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY logs 16 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 16.6:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 21.0:1, putting BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 18% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is below Buffalo County's rate of about 33%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 70.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 73.7%.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Buffalo County) records that median household earnings sit near $75,911, 34% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 5%. In all, Buffalo County runs 28 public schools (combined enrollment of about 8,449 students), of which BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY is one.

WINDY HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.3 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY at 2nd of 8; the average score across the group is 67.3%.

The school occupies a town-based site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY has shrank 6%, going from 288 students in 2018 to 272 in 2025. The White share of enrollment contracted from 93% to 89% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 18.6:1 in 2018 to 16.6:1 today.

On the community side, the feed for BUFFALO HILLS ELEMENTARY typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.