Mapping Drive Times from Private Schools in Nebraska

Nebraska families do not have access to the diverse educational opportunities families in many other states enjoy.

But if the state were to create a private educational choice program, such as education savings accounts (ESAs), our new study shows existing Nebraska private schools would be open to participating and have thousands of open seats to spare.

But where exactly are Nebraska private schools located? Which communities have private schools, and which don’t? And how quickly can families in the Cornhusker State transport their children to private school options?

The below linked private school drive-time map begins to answer some of these questions.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the data generated from an analysis of this Nebraska map:

All Nebraska students in grades K–12:

• 54 percent live within a five-minute drive of at least one private school
• 77 percent live within a 10-minute drive of at least one private school
• 84 percent live within a 15-minute drive of at least one private school
• 90 percent live within a 20-minute drive of at least one private school
• 93 percent live within a 25-minute drive of at least one private school
• 95 percent live within a 30-minute drive of at least one private school
• More than 22,300 students (5%) live 30 minutes or more from at least one private school

Families that, based on their income, would qualify for free or reduced-price lunch (assumes income less than $50,000 for a family of four):

• 55 percent live within a five-minute drive of at least one private school
• 75 percent live within a 10-minute drive of at least one private school
• 81 percent live within a 15-minute drive of at least one private school
• 87 percent live within a 20-minute drive of at least one private school
• 90 percent live within a 25-minute drive of at least one private school
• 93 percent live within a 30-minute drive of at least one private school
• 14,830 income-eligible families (7%) live 30 minutes or more from at least one private school

Median incomes of households based on how far they live from a private school:

• $63,923 for those zero to five minutes from at least one private school
• $66,615 for those five to 10 minutes from at least one private school
• $61,835 for those 10 to 15 minutes from at least one private school
• $55,237 for those 15 to 20 minutes from at least one private school
• $50,453 for those 20 to 25 minutes from at least one private school
• $46,014 for those 25 to 30 minutes from at least one private school

It’s important to note that Nebraska’s private school landscape is influenced by population and geography. Larger Nebraska cities have the bulk of the state’s private schools and school-aged population, which affects drive-time measurements for the state as a whole. The private school “deserts” in areas of the state may be devoid of high-speed roads and high populations. This especially seems to be true in the grasslands and plains.