A Guide to K-12 Education in Nebraska
Welcome to Schools 101! As a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to cultivating an informed electorate, we have put together some of the basic facts about K-12 education in Nebraska.
Education issues will be taken up in the new 108th Unicameral. The LWVNE hopes to provide you will the tools to better understand issues related to education policy in Nebraska.
Below you will find videos, links and resources that give an overview of K-12 education in Nebraska as well as more detailed information about four topics: who attends our schools (students); who works in our schools (teachers, staff and administrators); what pays for our schools (funding); and what guides our schools (curriculum).
Listen to our Education Action Team members Rachel Gibson and Sarah Smolen talk about the League’s Schools 101 program on the Riverside Chats Podcast from KIOS Omaha.
Students
Learn more about the over 350,000 students who attend public, private and home schools.
Curriculum
Learn more about who makes decisions about the what, when, where, how and why topics are taught.
Staff
Learn more about the over 26,000 teachers and 39,000 total staff who work in Nebraska schools.
Funding
Learn more about how over $4.8 billion in education funding is collected and spent throughout the state.
Welcome to Schools 101, an initiative of the League of Women Voters of Nebraska.
As residents, we know that public education has been a hot topic of conversation over the past year. Whether it is health standards, parental involvement, public health protocols or curriculum guidelines, lots of folks have had lots to say about our Nebraska schools. With all the competing voices, we found ourselves as parents, families and community members wondering:
How do schools work in Nebraska? Who attends our schools? Who teaches at our schools? Who makes decisions about our schools? Who funds our schools and how?
We decided to find out and Schools 101 was born. With a team of five volunteers, including a certified teacher, we researched and collected resources, read all kinds of reports, combed through Nebraska-specific data, and pulled out the most important parts to be made into an overview of K-12 education in Nebraska.
Interested in a presentation? Fill out this quick form and we will be in touch with you soon
Nebraska-Specific Data
Nebraska Public Schools State Snapshot – Nebraska Department of Education
School District Funding in Nebraska – Urban Institute
Education Policy Area – Open Sky Policy Institute
Education Committee Home – Nebraska Legislature
Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: FY 20
Nebraska Content Area Standards (Curriculum) – Nebraska Department of Education
Nebraska State Data Center – University of Nebraska Omaha Center for Public Affairs Research
National Data & Research
Condition of Education 2022 at a Glance – National Center for Education Statistics
Invite LWVNE to Present to Your Group!
Looking for a nonpartisan presentation about government, democracy, voting rights, public policy or schools in Nebraska ? Whether you are looking for a specific topic or general overview, the LWVNE will work with you to present the information your group is interested in.
Don’t know where to start? Consider one of our Nebraska specific presentations: Government 101 or Schools 101.