SUNRISE MIDDLE SCHOOL

Located at 4611 AVE N, in KEARNEY, Nebraska, SUNRISE MIDDLE SCHOOL is a moderately sized intermediate school that educates 536 students (grades 6 through 8), part of KEARNEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Enrollment runs roughly 30% larger than the state mean of about 411.

KEARNEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS runs 15 schools in total, collectively educating 6,066 students. SUNRISE MIDDLE SCHOOL is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, SUNRISE MIDDLE SCHOOL lists that the largest single group is White, at 73% of enrollment; the rest breaks down as 18% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, 2% Black. That is noticeably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 87%.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 44 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 12.1:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 14.5:1, putting SUNRISE MIDDLE SCHOOL tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 38% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

After controlling for student poverty, SUNRISE MIDDLE SCHOOL tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 62.9% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 59.7%.

In the broader community, community-level numbers for Buffalo County indicate the typical household earns roughly $75,911 per year, about 34% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, 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 SUNRISE MIDDLE SCHOOL is one.

Nearest neighbor: MEADOWLARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, around 0.6 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around SUNRISE MIDDLE SCHOOL. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts SUNRISE MIDDLE SCHOOL at 8th of 8; the average score across the group is 67.2%.

Geographically, the school is in a small-town area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 10%: 594 students in 2018 compared to 536 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 78% to 73% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 14.8:1 in 2018 to 12.1:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.