Omaha - Education

Education

Education in Omaha is provided by many private and public institutions. Omaha Public Schools is the largest public school district in Nebraska, with more than 47,750 students in more than 75 schools. After a contentious period of uncertainty, in 2007 the Nebraska Legislature approved a plan to create a learning community for Omaha-area school districts with a central administrative board. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha maintains numerous private Catholic schools with 21,500 students in 32 elementary schools and nine high schools. St. Cecilia Grade School at 3869 Webster St. in Midtown Omaha and St. Stephen the Martyr School at 168th and Q street in western Omaha earned national distinction when they received the U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School award. Omaha is also home to Brownell-Talbot School, the only preschool through grade 12, independent college preparatory school in the state of Nebraska.

There are eleven colleges and universities among Omaha's higher education institutions, including the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The University of Nebraska Medical Center is located in midtown Omaha and is home to the Eppley Cancer Center, one of 66 designated Cancer Centers by the National Cancer Institute in the United States. The University of Nebraska College of Medicine, also located on the UNMC campus, is ranked 7th in the country by US News and World Report for primary care medical education. Omaha's Creighton University is ranked the top non-doctoral regional university in the Midwestern United States by U.S. News and World Report. Creighton maintains a 132-acre (0.5 km2) campus just outside of Downtown Omaha in the new North Downtown district, and the Jesuit-run institution has an enrollment of around 6,700 in its undergraduate, graduate, medical, and law schools. There are more than 10 other colleges and universities in Omaha in the Omaha metro area.