Career Pathways Institute

Gates Elementary, home of the Gators, has served Grand Island families since November 1955, when the building opened with five classrooms for kindergarten through fourth grade. Additions over the decades grew it to twenty classrooms with a gymnasium, media center and music room, and in 1982 we became a site for district special education classrooms. Today about 303 students in kindergarten through fifth grade learn with 20 teachers, in two or three classrooms per grade. We host two Grand Island Public Schools programs: the ELL Newcomers program for students new to English, based here since 2006, and the Educational and Life Skills program, added in 2013. A full-time ELL specialist, a social worker and a learning facilitator work alongside classroom teachers, and special education services follow each student's IEP. All students take library, music, P.E. and Social Emotional Creative Arts, and our K-5 math curriculum moves to Eureka Math Squared in 2026-27. Every student eats free through the Community Eligibility Provision. An active PTA buys equipment, sends volunteers into classrooms and hosts family events through the year.

Grand Island Senior High School is the flagship public high school of Grand Island Public Schools, situated at 2124 North Lafayette Avenue in Grand Island. Serving approximately three thousand students in grades nine through twelve, GISH is one of Nebraska's largest high schools, celebrated for its wall-to-wall career academy model that connects classroom learning directly to post-secondary degrees and skilled professions. All incoming ninth graders participate in the Academy of Freshman Exploration to examine career interests before declaring a specialized academy for grades ten through twelve: Medical Sciences and Education, Business and Communication, Technical Sciences, or Engineering and Technology. Advanced coursework includes Advanced Placement (AP) classes and extensive dual-credit partnerships with Central Community College. Technical courses utilize cutting-edge shop and lab facilities at the nearby Career Pathways Institute (CPI). Students compete in NSAA Class A athletics as the Grand Island Islanders, alongside award-winning show choir, marching band, theater, and speech. Comprehensive special education programming provides individualized education programs (IEPs), co-taught classrooms, life skills training, and vocational transition support.

Head Start Child & Family Development Program, Inc. is a regional non-profit early childhood education agency based in Grand Island, serving children and families across Hall, Hamilton, Howard, and Merrick counties. The organization provides high-quality, comprehensive early education and family support funded through federal grants at no cost to qualifying families. Programming spans Early Head Start (infants and toddlers ages birth to 3), Head Start pre-kindergarten (ages 3 to 5), dedicated early intervention and inclusive services for children with identified disabilities from birth through five, and prenatal education for expectant mothers. Additionally, the agency administers Title I Part C Migrant Education services for children ages 3 to 21 from migrant agricultural backgrounds. Services incorporate early literacy, cognitive and social skills, health and dental screenings, nutritious meals, and parent education.