Enrollment
184
Elementary
DISTRICT 157 · STATE 272
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PALMER PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 310008901467
PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
202 COMMERCIAL ST, PALMER, NE 68864 · (308) 894-3065 · Merrick County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL184 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
13.5:1
14 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.3:1 · STATE 21.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
25%
46 students
DISTRICT 31% · 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 | 35 | 19% |
| Kindergarten | 12 | 7% |
| Grade 1 | 21 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 22 | 12% |
| Grade 3 | 32 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 24 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 19 | 10% |
| Grade 6 | 19 | 10% |
Student demographics
19%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 18% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL→PALMER JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH
Based on grade levels within PALMER PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NSCAS 2024-25 . % On Track + AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
60.0%
NE avg 57.6%
Math
62.5%
NE avg 60.6%
What this means: On the NSCAS, Nebraska's statewide test, about 60 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 63 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
61.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
67.6%
based on NE schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-6.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 62% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 68% 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 →
Where PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 61.6% | #202 of 311 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 62.5% | #240 of 398 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 60.0% | #219 of 438 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 184 | #392 of 587 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 25.0% | #254 of 359 |
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.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
184
-21 (-10%) vs 2020
+56% since 1990-91, when it was 118
Student : Teacher
13.5:1
was 14.6:1
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 | 184 | 13.7 | 13.5:1 | 25% (46) |
| 2023-24 | 203 | 13.7 | 14.8:1 | 54% (109) |
| 2022-23 | 208 | 13.7 | 15.2:1 | 58% (120) |
| 2020-21 | 205 | 14 | 14.6:1 | 43% (89) |
| 2017-18 | 168 | 11.9 | 14.1:1 | 41% (69) |
| 2015-16 | 163 | 12 | 13.6:1 | 52% (84) |
| 2010-11 | 127 | 9 | 14.1:1 | 43% (55) |
| 2000-01 | 124 | 9 | 13.8:1 | 35% (43) |
| 1990-91 | 118 | 8 | 14.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
About PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a small elementary school that serves part of PALMER, Nebraska. The school offers pre-K through 6 and enrolls 184 students. On average, elementary schools in Nebraska enroll around 272, and this school is 32% below that mark.
Within PALMER PUBLIC SCHOOLS, PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one of 2 schools. The district enrolls 313 students.
Roughly 90% of students at PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL are White. The remaining students are 6% Hispanic and 4% multiracial. Merrick County residents are about 92% White, a similar share. The diversity index for PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is 19%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
The school's 13.7 full-time-equivalent teachers translate to a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.5:1. Statewide, elementary schools in Nebraska average 21.0:1. Income data for the school show 25% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. It compares with 34% for public schools in Merrick County.
Based on student poverty, the model expects 67.6% at PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL; the school's average proficiency rate across its state test results is 61.6%.
In Merrick County, where the school is located, the median household earns about $68,354 a year, 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 3% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Merrick County number 7, with about 1,252 students.
Measured in a straight line, PALMER JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH is less than a tenth of a mile from PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. The school's 61.6% average proficiency ranks 5th among 7 nearby schools.
The school is in rural territory some distance from an urban area, according to its NCES locale (Rural: Distant).
Enrollment fell 10% over 4 years, reaching 184 in 2024-25. The ratio was 14.6:1 in 2020-21 and 13.5:1 in 2024-25.
PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL has a community page on allk12 for topics such as pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Merrick County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
7,724
Census ACS
Median income
$68,354
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
18%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
3%
Below federal line
Schools in county
7
1,252 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Nearby schools
- PALMER JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH0.0 mi · 129
- ST LIBORY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL10.2 mi · 161
- ST PAUL JR/SR HIGH SCHOOL10.4 mi · 277
- ST PAUL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL10.4 mi · 390
- CENTRAL CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL15.8 mi · 327
- CENTRAL CITY HIGH SCHOOL16.1 mi · 243
Frequently asked questions
About PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOLHow large is PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL enrolls approximately 184 students in grades PK-06.
What age range does PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serve?
PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serves students from grade PK through grade 06.
How many students per teacher at PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
Approximately 13.5:1 students per teacher at PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
What is the student diversity at PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
Student demographics at PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL are roughly 90% White, 6% Hispanic, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is overseen by PALMER PUBLIC SCHOOLS in Merrick County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.