Lincoln high schools? (Omaha, Waverly, Eagle: fit in, new home, neighborhoods)

[happygirl07]

I thought we might be moving to Omaha, but now it looks like we might be in Lincoln.

Does anyone have any comments on any of the high schools in Lincoln? My kid is smart but unmotivated, and will get lost in a sea of kids scrambling to ace their AP exams. I see that North Star has the Academies concept, which seems like that would be smaller in concept. But what is overall "feel" of this school like (and any others)?

Just looking for a safe, caring, friendly environment where it's not cutthroat either academically or socially, if that's even possible in an American high school.

Thanks.

[justmiinNE]

Lincoln High Schools are huge, most classes 500+ students. I would look at surrounding schools like Norris or Waverly. Both are so close to Lincoln you will still feel like your in Lincoln but smaller classes.

[dsrich98]

Originally Posted by justmiinNE

Lincoln High Schools are huge, most classes 500+ students. I would look at surrounding schools like Norris or Waverly. Both are so close to Lincoln you will still feel like your in Lincoln but smaller classes.

Just to clarify that's 500+ for an enite GRADE of students not a CLASSROOM. It's not like a university lecture hall. Classrooms will feature around 30 kids each.

Lincoln High Schools are excellent the only one that you should try to stay away from is North Star. It has the highest percentage of "troubled" students. Sounds like if your child lacks motivation he would find plenty of students there that would not make it any easier for him.

[justmiinNE]

Sorry I was refering to her sea of kids comment. You are right about the kid finding the wrong friends with so many to chose from, but if he is looking for the trouble crowd he will find it in any school. I'm not sure of the size of classrooms in the schools I mentioned, only that they are about the size that I went to and 17-22 per classroom is a little more of the ratio I think she is looking for.

[happygirl07]

Thanks for all of the info. Yes, the Lincoln high schools seem huge. I guess that's good and bad; you could get lost in a sea of kids academically, but maybe there are enough kids of different personalities to find friends.

On the flip side, as far as Norris or Waverly, I like the size of the schools better here, but I'm concerned whether there are enough new kids that come into the district every year that my kid won't be an "outsider". If the towns are small enough where 99% of the kids and families have lived there since the kids were born, I don't know how good of a fit that would be for someone coming in new, although academically it might work better.

Do you have any other thoughts on the Norris or Waverly schools?

Thanks.

[justmiinNE]

The towns that feed Norris and Waverly are growing with new neighborhoods every year. Norris feeds from many small towns, Hickman, Firth, Roca...etc. and also from Lincoln (still not sure how they do that), with new homes being built they are used to new students. Waverly, even though being located in the town of Waverly also pulls from Eagle and other small communities, so you dont necessarily need to be in the Good o'l Boy club to fit in. What I like most about Norris is that they seem to have more foresight into growth and expansion then LPS. They are more Pro active than Retro active. They have bought acers of land across the street for future expansion when needed. Good luck.

[happygirl07]

Thanks. I didn't realize there were new neighborhoods continuing to be built. That does make a difference.

[justmiinNE]

Yes here in Nebraska they are still building, I live in a newer neighborhood in Hickman, one of the last areas left in this subdivision, but there are 3 others going up across the street. They all are connected so its more like one large subdivision than 3 little ones, just each are owened by different developers. This also gives a variety of price levels to chose from $160-$250 is about the range, many with walkout basements so future finish can double your sqft. One even has plans for some retail at the front of the subdivision, which will be nice.

[justmiinNE]

Just have to explain that I'm not from Hickman. I grew up in Louisiana and my wife California, these are just my observations after living in Lincoln for 10 years and having an open mind about the school systems and areas. Most of my neighbors arent from Hickman but also moved out here for the schools and the nice community. If you know someone with a couple $mil to spare we could use it to build new pool for town also. LOL

[aerahrtlu]

Actually, dsrich98 is COMPLETELY wrong about North Star. It does not, in any way, have the highest percentage of troubled students. I should know, I went there.
How did you come across your "information" there dsrich98?

All schools around Lincoln have troubled students, but North Star is CERTAINLY not the worst. I would say, when it comes to "troubled" kids, Lincoln High takes the cake. When my children are high school age, I have three tops schools: North East, then North Star, then South East.

I graduated from North Star and it's a pretty good school. It's pretty big though, with about 2000 kids every year.

I've lived in Lincoln my whole life, and all the high schools are pretty similar in what they teach and how they teach it. LPS isn't nearly as strong of a school system as Norris is. So, I would definitely look into that school.

Good luck!!