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Surprise, Nebraska Center Street 2Photo: Ammodramus · Public domain
Schools in Surprise

Surprise’s public schools

Shelby-Rising City Public Schools and David City Public Schools have no state test or graduation results we can use, so there is no Schools grade for Surprise. Each school below is shown with its own results.

—Not gradedK–12Where will my kid go?3/5schools above Nebraska’s middle

Tests spring 2022, when 100% of students in Nebraska’s tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s graduation rate (U.S. Department of Education). How TownRatings grades schools

Reading proficiency
44%
2021–22
Math proficiency
25%
2021–22
Graduate on time
90%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$18.7K
▲ 20% vs NE $15.6K
FY2024 · David City
Students per teacher
11.0
NE 13.8 · smaller classes
Schools in town
0
991 students on the public path
In brief

Surprise’s schools, in brief

School by school

3 of Surprise’s 5 district schools with test results score above the middle of Nebraska’s 882 public schools. Bellwood Elementary School places highest (better than 91%); Shelby - Rising City Middle School lowest (11%). See the path ↓

Which school depends on your street

Three elementary schools serve Surprise, graded from C to A, so it’s worth checking the specific school. Then two middle schools: David City Secondary School and Shelby - Rising City Middle School. See the path ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools in Surprise, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
PK–53 elementary schoolsDepends on your addressC to A
6–122 schoolsDepends on your addressD to B+

Which school depends on your address. To confirm it, ask the Shelby-Rising City Public Schools.

Two districts serve Surprise

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Shelby-Rising City Public SchoolsGrades PK–12 · 3 schools · 403 students, up 2% since 2020–21 · 10.4 per teacher (NE 13.8)
$17,978NE $15,602 · FY2024
D
David City Public SchoolsGrades PK–12 · 3 schools · 700 students, up 7% since 2020–21 · 11.3 per teacher (NE 13.8)
$18,703NE $15,602 · FY2024
A−
Test scores · 2021–22

Above the state in reading

Reading · PK–12, Shelby-Rising City Public Schools44%
State average 47.1% · 208 students tested
Math · PK–12, Shelby-Rising City Public Schools25%
State average 46% · 208 students tested
Reading · PK–12, David City Public Schools57%
State average 47.1% · 324 students tested
Math · PK–12, David City Public Schools61%
State average 46% · 324 students tested

Surprise vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the Nebraska towns that share Surprise’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
Surprise—Shelby-Rising City PK–12 · David City PK–12

Every school in Surprise

5 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Nebraska’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

Also serving Surprisein other towns
David City Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–6 · David City
B+
315 students12:1Rate it →
Shelby - Rising City Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Shelby
C
201 students10:1Rate it →
Bellwood Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Bellwood
A
78 students9:1Rate it →
Shelby - Rising City Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Shelby
D
90 students16:1Rate it →
David City Secondary School
High · Grades 7–12 · David City
B+
307 students11:1Rate it →

Questions about Surprise’s schools

Are Surprise’s schools good?

There’s no Schools grade for Surprise. Shelby-Rising City Public Schools and David City Public Schools have no state test or graduation results we can use, so there is no Schools grade for Surprise. Each school below is shown with its own results. School by school, 3 of its 5 district schools with test results score above the middle of Nebraska’s public schools on their 2020–21 results.

What school district is Surprise in?

Shelby-Rising City Public Schools and David City Public Schools.

Where do Surprise kids go to high school?

One of two high schools, depending on your address: David City Secondary School and Shelby - Rising City Middle School.

Parents talk

What Surprise families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Surprise → They have their own page.

School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). Stars are from neighbors.