Best High School? (Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue: neighborhoods, magnet school, college)

[jamom]

We are thinking of moving to NE (Lincoln, maybe Omaha). I have posted before but still am not clear on what schools we should focus on. If you could send your high schooler ANYWHERE in either city, public or private (assuming money not an issue), where would you send him for the strongest academics and college placement? I have boys. Their main extra curricular interests are music (orchestra/band) and tennis. TIA.

[iamjacobm]

Take a look at Creighton Prep in Omaha. Great college prep school and have really good band and Tennis at the school. It is an all male school and is a Catholic school so that is something to consider, but education wise it is top notch and very well respected.

[aerahrtlu]

^^ Agreed
Now public - in Lincoln, I would send them to southwest if I felt comfortable in more richer neighborhoods. (I'm a middle class gal all the way)
In Omaha, probably the Millard District.

[Nancyquilts]

We are moving to the Omaha area soon, and I am planning on visiting 4 or 5 schools at the end of the month, so I will give you what my impressions are after we return. I also posted a question about high schools, so search the forum for that post. I got lots of responses. Good Luck!

[billiefan2000]

omaha north and omaha burke are good in ops

if youre out west omaha, i suggest millard south or millard north

[Katea]

I would highly recommend Papillion-LaVista High or Papillion-LaVista South High if you want to be in the Omaha area. Top notch administrators, faculty members, and programs at both schools. The Papio South band is top notch and has won several awards! Tennis is very good at both schools. I truly think Papillion/LaVista is the BEST district in the Omaha area. Both of my parents are retired teachers so this is why I am recommending this district

Don't know enough about the Lincoln schools. Good luck with your decision!

[freestuffjones]

I was born and raised in Omaha, and I have high schoolers and college students of my own. If I could go back and do it all over again, here is a list of the only public schools I would ever consider for my kids:

Millard North
Millard West
Papillion-LaVista
Papillion South
Westside

Don't listen to the people on this site who just blather on about how good Omaha North and Burke are. They aren't! One of my kids went through North, and while she DID get a great education, she had a very hard time socially because she isn't into the whole ghetto-fabulous lifestyle. She was so glad to get the hell out of there at graduation! Burke might be farther west, but it's just as bad, if not worse. We pulled our son our out of Burke and sent him to Prep. He's at Stanford now on scholarship. Don't be fooled by the OPS magnet programs, either. You can polish a turd all you want, but it's still a turd. OPS is a horrible school district. Benson, South, and Northwest are especially bad. Do your homework and research and you will find out that the statistics back up what I'm saying. Stick to west or southwest Omaha, and you won't go wrong. Of our three kids still at home, two go to Millard North and one goes to Marian, and we are very pleased with both schools.

If you're interested in private schools, most of them here are Catholic. They're all really good and worth the money. Also, most of them offer financial aid and tuition breaks, so don't be afraid to ask for them. Creighton Prep, Marian, Duchesne, Gross, Skutt are the Catholic ones. Brownell-Talbot is is private and non-religious.

And I don't really care if this whole diatribe sounds elitist. Maybe it is. Who cares??? I'm a parent, and it is my job to make sure my kids have the best I can give them. I'm not going to put my children in inferior schools and sacrifice their educational opportunities just to prove how diverse and accepting I can be. It's one thing to talk about vague ideas, pie-in-the-sky policies, and politics. It's quite another to gamble with your children's futures. And guess what? My kids aren't white, and they were always accepted and valued as the talented individuals that they are. Even at their predominantly white schools.

I do not know very much about Bellevue, so I can't help you there. I do believe that it is more diverse than west o, and it does have a better academic reputation than OPS. I do not know anything about Lincoln schools.

I wish you the best of luck in your search!

[DavidGeorge]

Originally Posted by freestuffjones

I was born and raised in Omaha, and I have high schoolers and college students of my own. If I could go back and do it all over again, here is a list of the only public schools I would ever consider for my kids:

Millard North
Millard West
Papillion-LaVista
Papillion South
Westside

Don't listen to the people on this site who just blather on about how good Omaha North and Burke are. They aren't! One of my kids went through North, and while she DID get a great education, she had a very hard time socially because she isn't into the whole ghetto-fabulous lifestyle. She was so glad to get the hell out of there at graduation!

I'm sorry, but that's ridiculous. My kids went to North, got fantastic educations, and had absolutely no "social" problems of any kind.


I don't know if North still has it, but they used to have the only Honors Orchestra program in the entire metro area. More students from Omaha North were in All-State Orchestra than any other school in the state.

North is also a Magnet School, and just this year opened a new High Tech wing. Omaha North Unveils New High-Tech Wing - Omaha News Story - KETV Omaha (http://www.ketv.com/news/24640317/detail.html - broken link)

North has a high drop-out rate, because they make no bones about the fact that you can't force kids to go to school, and you can't force kids to learn. But the education that awaits kids who will take school seriously are unsurpassed.


In short, don't believe all the West Omaha "ghetto hype" about Omaha North. Hundreds of kids drive in from West Omaha to go to Omaha North High School.

[Raphael07]

Kids drive from all over the city to go to the school they want to. Its just how Omaha is.

[freestuffjones]

@DavidGeorge

I didn't say her actual education was subpar. Far from it. But when you weigh it all out, the socioeconomic demographic at North ruins that school. If you picked up that school, teachers, buildings, and all, and magically transported it to west Omaha, it would be the best high school in town.

Sadly, that will never be the case. You can throw money at a school and boast about new technology, but that doesn't change the underlying demographics.