5461 6th Ave
Murray, NE 68409

About the school: Conestoga Jr/Sr HS is comprised of students from 4 nearby communities, including Murray, Nehawka, Union, and Beaver Lake. The communities of Murray, Nehawka, and Union are most comprised of lower to middle-class income families where as those come from the Beaver Lake community are considered middle to upper-class. The good: Conestoga runs on a 4-day school week, Tue through Fri. The school day runs from 7:50-4 (Jr/Sr HS) and 8-3:50 (Elementary) and still gets out right after Memorial Day and still observes the same regular holidays as other schools. Class sizes are small; the goal is to keep them at a ratio of 18:1 from K-12th grade. The students in special education where they are in the special education classroom full-time vs. in regular education classes with special education assistance is wonderful (this is solely based on the teachers running it). However, the later, where students receive special education instruction secondary to full-time regular education classes is not as robust. I attribute this to the teachers, not the program.The bad: Conestoga has attempted to pass a school bond several times since 2019, but has been unsuccessful (unfortunately due to politics). Because of this, the secondary and primary schools have both suffered, leaving the facilities in great need of upgrades. From a safety perspective, the Jr/Sr HS severely lacks proper safety/security as doors surrounding the building fail to be secured 100% of the time, leaving students and others to come and go unnoticed. Although being a smaller school system they have an "everyone gets to be on the team/play" mentality, similar to larger schools, there is obvious favoritism when it comes sports (i.e., if your a student of a long-standing family in the community, if you come from a generational farming family, if your parent is a teacher, on the board, or PTO, etc.). We thought moving to a smaller community would make a difference, but we were definitely wrong. Without a community willing to support passing a bond, the school system is suffering and in turn, it is affecting the students, teachers, programs, etc. to the point that parents are pulling their kids out of Conestoga and enrolling them elsewhere.

About the school: Conestoga Elementary is comprised of students from 4 nearby communities, including Murray, Nehawka, Union, and Beaver Lake. The communities of Murray, Nehawka, and Union are most comprised of lower to middle-class income families where as those come from the Beaver Lake community are considered middle to upper-class. The good: Conestoga runs on a 4-day school week, Tue through Fri. The school day runs from 7:50-4 (Jr/Sr HS) and 8-3:50 (Elementary) and still gets out right after Memorial Day and still observes the same regular holidays as other schools. Class sizes are small; the goal is to keep them at a ratio of 18:1 from K-12th grade. The current principal has been there for several years and is wonderful. He truly cares about the students, listens to parents' concerns, and takes action if/when necessary. The bad: The special education program at the elementary level is sub-par. They are stretched way too thin as the special education teachers have too many students to handle at a time and during the time 2 of our children were there, their special education teachers were only P/T. Conestoga has attempted to pass a school bond several times since 2019, but has been unsuccessful (unfortunately due to politics). Because of this, the secondary and primary schools have both suffered. The elementary is in dire need of upgrades, and due to enrollment growth, they are outgrowing their space. Before too long, students will be in portable buildings and then those who will not vote yes to pass a bond will be complaining about that. We thought moving to a smaller community would make a difference, but we were definitely wrong. Without a community willing to support passing a bond, the school system is suffering and in turn, it is affecting the students, teachers, programs, etc. to the point that parents are pulling their kids out of Conestoga and enrolling them elsewhere.