Educational Facilities and Opportunities

School District No. 002 in Dawes County (Chadron) covers 20 square miles. The State of Nebraska and the North Central Association accredit this Class 3, Type K-12 district. Four rural K-8 schools have affiliation with the Chadron High School for secondary education. Effective June 15, 2006, LB 126 says that all Class I School Districts will come under the jurisdiction of the Chadron School District.

The capacity of the public elementary schools is 500. The middle school, built in 1921 and renovated in 1983, has a capacity of 575. The high school was built in 1968, remodeled in 1994, and has a capacity of 550. Vocational courses offered in high school include business, industrial technology, home economics, and cooperative education. Special education classes are provided at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

School District No. 23-0071 in Dawes County (Crawford) covers 88 square miles. The Nebraska Department of Education accredits this district.

The maximum capacity of the public elementary school is 185. The high school was built in 1930 and remodeled in 1958 and 1966 and has maximum capacity of 220. Vocational courses offered in the high school are industrial technology, consumer science, and business education. Interactive distance learning is available.

The public school system also provides facilities for remedial reading, remedial mathematics, and a special education program for students K-12, plus pre-school needs programs.

Crawford Public Schools provide education for K-12 grades. Special education classes are provided to all grades. Attendance and graduate rates are consistently above the state average.

Chadron State College

In 1910 the Nebraska Legislature selected Chadron as the site for a college to serve the educational needs of western Nebraska and Chadron State College, a state-supported institution, was founded in 1911. The college is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, and the Council on Social Work Education. The college is approved by the American Association of University Women.

Chadron State College (CSC) offers degree programs leading to Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in education, Master of Arts and Master of Science degrees in education, Master of business administration, and Specialist in education degrees as well as pre-professional education regarding the Rural Health Opportunities Program (RHOP). Available majors reflect both traditional academic disciplines as well as a variety of emerging study areas.

CSC offers educational services throughout western and central Nebraska through its Interactive Distance Learning Instructional Center and video conferencing capabilities, which include simultaneous two-way audio and visual instruction communications.

College personnel provide training and consulting in a variety of areas and help provide additional services through a network of established linkages with other institutions and state agencies.

Western Nebraska Community College

Chadron and Crawford are part of the Western Nebraska Community College Area, which encompasses 12 ½ Panhandle counties. Campus facilities are operated at Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC) at Scottsbluff with education centers in Sidney and Alliance. Western Nebraska Community College works with area industries, retail establishments, and other agencies and organizations in planning in-service and/or in-plant training programs.