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Wahoo Public Schools Earn an AQuESTT Classification of GREAT!

January 23, 2026

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Each year, the Nebraska Department of Education classifies school districts and schools across the state as Excellent, Great, Good or Needs Support for Improvement. Classifications are based on the Accountability for a Quality Education System (AQuESTT) classification criteria. The AQuESTT system is designed to measure student performance in more ways than via student performance on statewide assessments. For the 2024-25 school year, the Wahoo Public Schools District, Wahoo Elementary and Wahoo High School received an AQuESTT classification of “Great” while Wahoo Middle School received a classification of “Excellent.”

The final AQuESTT state classifications for the 2024-25 school year are as follows: 

• 323 schools (29 percent) - Excellent
• 359 schools (40 percent) - Great
• 330 schools (30 percent) - Good
• 89 schools 8 percent) - Needs Support for Improvement

AQuESTT classifications are centered around six core tenets:
  1) Positive Partnerships, Relationships, and Success   2) Transitions 3) Educational Opportunities and Access
  4) Postsecondary, Career and Civic Ready 5) Student Achievement and Growth 6) Educator Effectiveness
 

The Wahoo Public Schools emphasizes an environment for teaching and learning that is centered on growth and continuous improvement. We are committed to:
  • Equipping our students for the 21st Century
  • Providing opportunities for students to realize their full potential
  • Creating engaged citizens
  • Collaborating with the greater Wahoo community

Our Continuous Improvement efforts focus on five key action steps:
  1) Providing high quality instruction that ensures academic growth for every student
  2) Providing high quality curriculum that supports instructional goals
  3) Utilizing high quality assessments and data collection tools to support student learning
  4) Providing professional development and support which promote student learning
  5) Providing an environment that promotes safety and a positive culture

As we review our most recent student achievement results (24-25 SY), we want to provide a clear picture of our district’s academic performance. Overall, our data continues to reflect a generally positive trajectory, and we continue to offer a wide variety of extracurricular opportunities for our students. 

At the same time, our English Language Arts scores show a decrease from previous years. This decrease in scores highlights an important area of focus for us moving forward and aligns with the work identified by our Continuous Improvement Team during our data analysis this past summer. While our overall academic performance remains solid, it is essential that we take a closer look at the factors contributing to this dip and develop a targeted plan for improvement. 

We have begun engaging in a more thorough review of the ELA data, examining our current instructional practices and materials, and will be identifying the supports needed to strengthen outcomes for all students. This work will be aligned with our district’s strategic priorities and will include input from teachers, administrators, instructional teams and the school community. 

While assessment results indicate we have important work ahead of us in ELA, they also reinforce our district strengths and consistently high achievement in other areas. We are confident that with a clear plan, collaborative effort, and continued commitment to high-quality teaching and learning, we will see growth in the years ahead. 

NSCAS Growth (State Assessment) - historical (% proficient)

NSCAS ACT (11th graders) - scale scores

These ACT scores include results for Wahoo Public Schools and state averages over the past five years of testing. All 11th grade students in Nebraska complete the ACT to meet state testing requirements.

Areas of Continuous Improvement

“The district remains committed to developing our MTSS process. An MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) is the foundation for all work that is done within WPS. It is a way for us to connect all of the district practices together. Our MTSS leadership team continues the essential work of reviewing all of the systems and programs currently in place at Wahoo Public, and ensuring all systems and programs support one another in accomplishing our vision,” Dr. Snyder said.  “The primary focus remains on providing high quality core classroom practices and ensuring these practices are highly effective.” More information regarding our MTSS system can be found HERE.

Wahoo Elementary School: Continuous Improvement Initiatives at Wahoo Elementary are focused on personalized learning opportunities, and building on the strength of the Wahoo Educational Behavioral Support System (WEBSS) as we align all of our systems with the MTSS framework, referenced in Every Student Succeeds Act. During the current continuous improvement cycle, we have specified our focus on improving reading into 1) Word Recognition at the Kindergarten-2nd Grade and 2) Language Comprehension at 3rd-5th Grades. - Ben Kreifels, Elementary Principal

Wahoo Middle School: Wahoo Middle School continually reviews instructional strategies and ways to develop a positive learning environment for students. Ensuring that every student learns and is held to a high expectation is the number one goal. “At Wahoo Middle School, our staff fosters a culture of excellence by encouraging students to take pride in their academic efforts and performance. We continually emphasize the importance of embracing challenges that build crucial skills for future success.” - Marc Kaminski, Middle School Principal

Wahoo High School: Areas of continuous improvement at the high school are focused on ensuring that our students are college and career ready when they graduate from Wahoo High School. We rely on our MTSS framework as a guide for continuous student monitoring. Wahoo High School offers a combination of CTE, dual credit, SENCAP Classes, and our CEOs Program to help ensure our students leave with the skills they need to succeed post secondary. “The faculty at Wahoo High School takes pride in continuously working to improve the educational opportunities for our students through their shared vision. We focus continually on reviewing and improving our curriculum through rigor and opportunity.”- Vernon Golladay, High School Principal

Overall Summary

The focus of improving our core instructional routines remains an ongoing process that requires a commitment from ALL STAFF within ALL content areas. Each building is consistently reviewing their specific systems of practice and adjusting them to best meet the needs of our school community. From academics and systems of support, to activities and facilities, we are continuously working to improve opportunities for student success and growth.