LSB – Standing Bear High School
LOCATION: Near 70th Street and Saltillo Road
OPERATION: Opening in Fall 2023
Standing Bear High School, located in southeast Lincoln near 70th and Saltillo Road, is Lincoln Public Schools’ eighth high school.
LPS named Sue Cassata as Principal for the opening of Lincoln’s newest comprehensive high school facility.
Standing Bear High joins Lincoln High as the city’s only public high schools with names that are not based on a direction and it’s the first to be named for a person. A committee of community members and Board members recommended that the new school be named Standing Bear High School to honor the life of Standing Bear (1829-1908), who was a chief of the Ponca Tribe. Steve Laravie Jr., a great-great-great-great-grandson of Standing Bear told teh LPS Board of Education “This consideration of his name for an environment where young people can learn and grow to be great leaders for their own communities, for their own families, for this good land – for all of us – I thank you on behalf of my family,” he said.
Standing Bear’s mascot is the Grizzlies, and school’s colors are Charcoal, Carolina Blue and Navy. The mascot logo pays homage to Chief Standing Bear’s son Bear Shield, a decision made in collaboration with the Ponca Tribe, several community indigenous leaders including descendants of Chief Standing Bear.
Standing Bear High School opened with only ninth and tenth graders in 2023. As the graduating class of 2027 moves through high school, LPS anticipates Standing Bear will meet the designed 1,000 student capacity. Juniors and seniors will be able to participate in the Nebraska Business Focus Program, housed at the site.
At open, Standing Bear will be a member of the Eastern Midlands Conference (EMC) for athletics. LPS planned this high school to open under 1,000 students, with room for growth and expansion to 2,000 as student enrollment in Lincoln grows. This classifies the new high school as Class B under the Nebraska School Activities Association bylaws. The NSAA classifies schools based on enrollment in grades 9-11, and are re-evaluated every two years.
