SOUTH WARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SOUTH WARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one of the mid-sized elementary-level communitys in SIDNEY, Nebraska, run under SIDNEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, with 261 students on its rolls from grades 1 through 3.

Within SIDNEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, which oversees 5 schools and 1,141 students, SOUTH WARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the system.

Looking at the student body, SOUTH WARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL lists that nearly all students (90%) are White; the rest reads as 7% Hispanic. Compared to Cheyenne County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

In terms of school funding signals, SOUTH WARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL logs 19 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.0:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 21.0:1 average. About 51% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

After controlling for student poverty, SOUTH WARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 58.6% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 60.6%.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Cheyenne County indicate median household earnings sit near $60,348, roughly 23% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 9%. In all, Cheyenne County runs 9 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,407 students), of which SOUTH WARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one.

Nearest neighbor: SIDNEY MIDDLE SCHOOL, around 0.8 miles off. 4 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), SOUTH WARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks 4th on composite proficiency, above the local average of 56.0%.

The campus sits in a small-town setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count expanded 33%: 196 students in 2018 compared to 261 in 2025.

On allk12, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.