Omaha Public Schools (OPS) will be opening two new high schools next school year.
The new schools will come with an updated student assignment plan. Students will be guaranteed enrollment at their neighborhood school. While students have the option of applying to any of the high schools, students who have siblings who will stay enrolled at the school the following school year and those who live in a partner zone will be prioritized first.
Current freshmen who live in Buena Vista’s attendance area will be required to transition from their current schools to Buena Vista for their sophomore year, but still have the option to apply to other high schools in the district.
“Currently, our district has identified approximately 100 ninth grade students each at Bryan and South who are attending their current neighborhood school and will transition to their new neighborhood school, Buena Vista for 2022-23,” OPS spokeswomen Bridget Blevins said.
The district will also phase out sixth grade in its elementary schools and integrate them into its middle schools in the 2023-24 school year.
Carrie Carr and Thomas Lee were announced as the principals of Buena Vista and Westview High School in January and started their positions in June.
Buena Vista, located at 60th and L Streets, and Westview High School, at 156th and Ida Streets, will start with freshman and sophomores only and will reach its capacity of approximately 1500 students two years later.
The district is pushing students in the high school selection process to focus more on the college career academies and pathways offered at the high schools.
“It has also made students more serious about learning about careers that match their interests since that will help determine the best high school to attend,” Bryan Middle School counselor Stephanie Suhr said.
Some students are looking forward to the new schools, such as eighth grader Yaneli Lopez-Escobar who plans to attend Buena Vista.
“As schools get older, they seem to be more run down, so I like the idea of a brand-new school,” she said.
All sports will be offered at both of the schools. Football will temporarily be categorized as Class B, but once the schools reach full capacity, football will join the Metro Conference as Class A.