About Our School

Welcome to Newell Elementary, Home of the Knights!

Principal Balcom posing for a photo with a family on the first day of school.

Welcome Knights of Newell!

When it comes to what we believe about education, this quote does well in summarizing what Newell Elementary is all about.

"There is a doctrine that is fundamental in American education. That is: every child born or adopted by this republic has by virtue of that fact the right to have developed whatever of talent he may possess, without reference to the quality, quantity, or type of that talent, under conditions favorable to such development, and that he shall have assured to him the opportunity to go as far as his ability and ambition will permit in order that he may live his life more abundantly than he otherwise could." - Claude L. Kulp

As a staff we are looking forward to giving your child the opportunity to live an "abundant" life by providing an encouraging, engaging and academically challenging environment. Should you ever have any questions, please be sure to let us know!

MISSION STATEMENT:

"To provide a safe and nurturing learning environment where students can develop to their fullest potential while becoming independent learners."

Newell at a Glance

K-5 Students: 378

Teachers: 25

Number of classrooms per grade level: 3

CEP School: Meals at no cost

(Information from Nebraska Dept. of Education, 2025)

Thank you for visiting our website to learn more about our academic opportunities as well as our family events. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us. Nate Balcom, principal

Front entrance of the Newell Elementary school building and sign.

School History
School Report

School History

Outdoor photo of Newell Elementary School

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Our school was named after Mr. A.B. Newell, a longtime Grand Island school board member. Albert Bulkley Newell was born September 16, 1877, in Glenvil, Nebraska and moved to Grand Island in 1921. Mr. Newell served on the Board of Education from 1923 until his death in 1950. Our school was dedicated November 10, 1955, in his memory.

Newell Elementary 1955

Grand Island was growing after the war and it soon became evident that a new school would be needed to serve the city. Newell was built on the western rim of Grand Island, and, as seen in the photograph, was next to a cornfield. It was a single unit school serving grades K-6. Our student enrollment was about 170. The school, with a footage of 15,308 square feet, was built for $188,782.

Newell Elementary 1970

By 1967 it was evident to the Board of Education that Newell needed to be enlarged. With an already crowded enrollment of 236 which was expected to climb to 341 by 1970 something had to be done. The new addition included 6 more classrooms and a multi-purpose gymnasium. The 16,000 square foot addition cost an estimated $300,000.

Newell Elementary 1980 to Present

Newell School, only 8 years after expanding to a double unit school, now needed to be a triple unit school. Grand Island was growing to the west and adding to Newell's student population. Corn fields gave way to subdivisions. Plans were made to add a new media center, office, teacher's work room and study, 9 new classrooms and a central multi-purpose area. Teachers and parents were involved in the planning which produced a beautiful new 35,000 square foot addition, doubling the size at a cost of just over $1,000,000. The new addition was dedicated on October 21, 1980.

Beginning with the 1997 school year, Newell has moved to a K-5 elementary. Grand Island Schools moved to a middle school concept. The current enrollment is approximately 350 students.

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In This Section

About Us

Newell at a Glance

School History

School Report

School Report

NDE: STATE OF SCHOOLS REPORT

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