Below is the 2023 All West-Central Academic Team.
MEET THE FIRST TEAM
Aidan Anderson
St. Paul
Parents: Dr. Adrian Anderson and Mrs. Tracy Anderson
Class rank: 2 out of 50
Test scores: 35 ACT, 1440 SAT
College: Kansas State; animal sciences and industry
Accomplishments: Student council president and treasurer; FBLA chapter president; Interact club president; National Merit commended; first place at state FBLA in business communication; second-place proficiency award for state in FFA Veterinary Science Supervised Agricultural Experience
People are also reading…
Zachary Fleischer
Adams Central
Parents: Jennifer and Wade Fleischer
Class rank: 1 out of 72
Test score: 33 ACT
College: UNL; chemical engineering, with Spanish minor
Accomplishments: Student council vice president; adviser to the president of senior mock government; track team captain; tutor; placed first three times in two years in various subjects at Actions Day; four-year state qualifier in football; school's most improved football player
Justin Golus
Holdrege
Parents: Rodney and Eileen Golus
Class rank: 1 out of 76
Test score: 34 ACT
College: South Dakota School of Mines & Technology; mechanical engineering
Accomplishments: Class president three years; student council vice president; Quiz Bowl captain; low-brass section leader; fifth place in all-class state Quiz Bowl; state speech in two events; individual state cross country qualifier; NCPA Academic All-State in cross country; College Board Rural and Small Town Recognition Award
Riley Christopher Ibero
Scottsbluff
Parents: Frank & Shannon Ibero
Class rank: 1 out of 212
Test score: 36 ACT, Nat. Merit
College: UNL; civil engineering
Accomplishments: Mu Alpha Theta math honor society co-president; Tri-M Music Honor Society treasurer; NMEA all-state band-baritone; UNL Math Day fourth-place individual finisher; "Sound of Music" lead role
Matthew Johnson
Creighton
Parents: Jeremy and Mary Johnson
Class rank: 1 out of 20
Test score: 34 ACT
College: UNL; mechanical engineering
Accomplishments: Student body president; student leadership team; student council president; placed in pole vault at state past two years; National Merit commended; play production outstanding performer at districts; football team captain
Alivia Olson
Kearney
Parents: Andrew and Abby Olson
Class rank: 1 out of 305
Test score: 35 ACT, Nat. Merit
College: UNL; chemical engineering
Accomplishments: Class president; FCCLA chapter co-president and state vice president; Youth Leadership Kearney; national FCCLA silver medalist; Rotary Youth Leadership Award; Presidential Scholars candidate; Academic All-State Award for cross country
Leah Rose Polk
Scottsbluff
Parents: Rob and Dorisa Polk
Class rank: 31 out of 212
Test score: 34 ACT
College: UNK; English and music
Accomplishments: Mu Alpha Theta math honor society secretary and associate chair; state speech in serious prose and poetry; UNL Math Day 21st place; UNL Probe II qualifier two years; Class A district speech second place in poetry and fourth place in serious prose; fifth place in pole vault at Class B district track and field
Samantha Rodewald
McCook
Parents: Anthony and Jennifer Rodewald
Class rank: 1 out of 129
Test score: 33 ACT
College: Chadron State College, rangeland wildlife management
Accomplishments: FFA chapter vice president; student school board representative; Class B cross country super-state team; NCPA Academic All-State in cross country; Class B state cross country third-place medalist; Believers and Achievers nominee; academic letters all four years of high school
Wyatt F. Soule
Gering
Parents: Wade and Kimberly Soule
Class rank: 1 out of 130
Test score: 34 ACT
College: Williams College; astrophysics
Accomplishments: Math club captain; Quiz Bowl captain; state speech qualifier; National Honor Society; NCPA Academic All-State in play production
Kevin Vuong
Hastings
Parents: Billy and Kimberly Vuong
Class rank: no rank out of 264
Test scores: 34 ACT, 1540 SAT
College: Notre Dame; environmental engineering
Accomplishments: Cross country captain and competitor at state; National Honor Society treasurer; started online business; started school's ACT-tutoring program; district Quiz Bowl team champions; independently learned linear algebra
Karson Walters
Kearney
Parents: Rich and Amy Walters
Class rank: 1 out of 305
Test score: 34 ACT, Nat. Merit
College: UNL; business
Accomplishments: Student council; thespian troupe president; Tri-M Music Honor Society vice president; speech team was OID district champ and state qualifier; national speech qualifier in duet; Youth Leadership Kearney; Select Camerata Orchestra four years and cello section leader; organized blood drives; public relations officer for school's social media
Emma Winkelbauer
O'Neill St. Mary's
Parents: Matthew and Erika Winkelbauer
Class rank: no rank out of 10
Test score: 32 ACT
College: UNL; biology
Accomplishments: Student council president; Bosco House president; Quiz Bowl captain; NCPA Academic All-State in basketball, volleyball, track and field, speech, journalism; Niobrara Valley Conference Principal's and Superintendent's Academic Team; three-event state speech qualifier: sixth in duet acting; state in pole vault and volleyball; Class D-2 state one-act champ
SECOND TEAM
Kaleb Baker
St. Paul
Parents: Michael and Judi Baker
Class rank: 1 out of 50
Test Score: 33 ACT
Linus Borer
Elgin Pope John
Parents: David and Lindy Borer
Class rank: no rank out of 9
Test Score: 33 ACT
Ty Brady
Crawford
Parents: Karen Norton
Class rank: 1 out of 7
Test Score: 32 ACT
Havelah Monica Hertzler
Scottsbluff
Parents: Bradley and Allison Hertzler
Class rank: 11 out of 212
Test scores: 35 ACT, 1390 SAT
Kajetan Hubl
Grand Island Central Catholic
Parents: Jeff and Mary Beth Hubl
Class rank: no rank out of 39
Test Score: 35 ACT
Ashlyn Krohn
Boone Central
Parents: Matt and Emily Krohn
Class rank: no rank out of 55
Test Score: 32 ACT
Ian Kuchar
Bloomfield
Parents: Matt and Bridget Kuchar
Class rank: 1 out of 21
Test Score: 35 ACT
Thomas Melliger
Columbus Scotus
Parents: Brent and Carmen Melliger
Class rank: 9 out of 65
Test Score: 35 ACT
Mason Messmer
Grand Island
Parents: Mitch and Niki Messmer
Class rank: no rank out of 615
Test Score: 35 ACT
Jude Rutt
Hastings
Parents: Steve Rutt, Dawn Deuel-Rutt
Class rank: no rank out of 264
Test Score: 35 ACT
Gavin Smith
Perkins County
Parents: Kelly and Ashlee Smith
Class rank: 1 out of 22
Test Score: 34 ACT
Jenason Spady
Garden County
Parents: Jason and Candy Spady
Class rank: 1 out of 21
Test Score: 32 ACT
College choices for All Academic first teams
Best public high schools in Nebraska
Best public high schools in Nebraska
As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a '96 commencement address at Wellesley College, "Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead." If that's the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.
It's a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.5 million students enrolled in public PreK-12 schools in 2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.
For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.
Stacker compiled a list of the 30 best public high schools in Nebraska using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses eight weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics and grades, but other factors include culture and diversity, health and safety, clubs and activities, resources, and surveys of parents, teachers and students. School districts are provided when available; otherwise, the city is listed instead.
#30. Valentine High School
- District: Valentine Community Schools
- Enrollment: 194 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#29. Milford High School
- District: Milford Public Schools
- Enrollment: 344 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#28. Crofton High School
- District: Crofton Community Schools
- Enrollment: 176 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#27. Gordon-Rushville High School
- District: Gordon-Rushville Public Schools
- Enrollment: 142 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#26. Platteview Senior High School
- District: Springfield Platteview Community Schools
- Enrollment: 394 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#25. York High School
- District: York Public Schools
- Enrollment: 461 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#24. Wood River Rural High School
- District: Wood River Rural Schools
- Enrollment: 155 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#23. High School at Syracuse
- District: Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca Public Schools
- Enrollment: 206 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#22. Seward High School
- District: Seward Public Schools
- Enrollment: 527 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#21. North Bend Central Junior/Senior High School
- District: North Bend Central Public Schools
- Enrollment: 247 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#20. Pender High School
- District: Pender Public Schools
- Enrollment: 146 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#19. West Holt High School
- District: West Holt Public Schools
- Enrollment: 192 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#18. Elmwood-Murdock Junior/Senior High School
- District: Elmwood-Murdock Public Schools
- Enrollment: 164 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#17. Chadron Senior High School
- District: Chadron Public Schools
- Enrollment: 308 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#16. Bellevue West High School
- District: Bellevue Public Schools
- Enrollment: 1,559 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#15. Central High School
- District: Omaha Public Schools
- Enrollment: 2,788 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#14. Diller-Odell Secondary School
- District: Diller-Odell Public Schools
- Enrollment: 99 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#13. Bennington Secondary School
- District: Bennington Public Schools
- Enrollment: 885 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#12. Millard South High School
- District: Millard Public Schools
- Enrollment: 2,591 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#11. Lincoln High School
- District: Lincoln Public Schools
- Enrollment: 2,377 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#10. Papillion La Vista Senior High School
- District: Papillion-La Vista School District
- Enrollment: 1,895 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#9. Papillion La Vista South High School
- District: Papillion-La Vista School District
- Enrollment: 1,957 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#8. Lincoln Southeast High School
- District: Lincoln Public Schools
- Enrollment: 1,999 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#7. Westside High School
- District: Westside Community Schools
- Enrollment: 2,025 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#6. Southwest High School
- District: Lincoln Public Schools
- Enrollment: 2,112 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#5. Millard West High School
- District: Millard Public Schools
- Enrollment: 2,283 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#4. Elkhorn High School
- District: Elkhorn Public Schools
- Enrollment: 898 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#3. Lincoln East High School
- District: Lincoln Public Schools
- Enrollment: 2,335 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#2. Elkhorn South High School
- District: Elkhorn Public Schools
- Enrollment: 1,417 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#1. Millard North High School
- District: Millard Public Schools
- Enrollment: 2,592 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
