Who We Are
Nebraska Evangelical Lutheran High School’s (NELHS) vision is to be a leader in Christian secondary education that is in accordance with the Lutheran Confessions of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. NELHS is and will continue to be a school where generations come to learn more about their loving God through instruction and guided by his Holy Word. The eternal truths found in scripture are the foundation of NELHS, its curriculum, and all of its activities. Through its Christian education program, our school strives to provide faithfully for the eternal welfare of each child and to guide him/her in the maximum development in the spiritual, physical, and mental abilities given by God.
Our Mission
NELHS exists to assist parents and congregations by providing Christian training in the skills and values necessary for loyal service to Jesus Christ for time and eternity.
What We Believe
Christ’s love – the love He demonstrated by His perfect life and by His suffering and death on the cross – is the foundation for our relationship with God, the focus of our faith, and the motivation for all we do as Christians. In that same love for sinners, Christ not only lived and died to set us free from sin and guilt, but He also rose again in victory on the first Easter Sunday, assuring us that His victory is our victory and that His resurrection is our resurrection. Saved by His grace alone, we look forward to Jesus’ glorious return as we proclaim the good news of what His love has accomplished.
With this as our motivation, NELHS strives to assist parents in training their children for life-long service to God's kingdom. Christian education allows us the opportunity to present every class from a scriptural viewpoint. It affords us the opportunities to model our faith for our students, to pray with them, and to worship God in everything we do.
With this solid foundation, we know that God will continue to bless His future servants in all their endeavors to spread the gospel message of free grace to all the world.
For more information on what we believe, visit the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) website linked below:
Our History
While interest and efforts in a Nebraska WELS “academy” goes back to the 1940s, an association of individuals incorporated and organized the Nebraska Evangelical Lutheran High School Association at Grand Island on September 13, 1975. This group began issuing calls for an administrator and first instructor in the fall of 1976. In April of 1977, the Waco school facilities were purchased at public auction for $38,500.
The doors opened on August 28, 1979, for nineteen students in grades nine and ten. Four full and part-time instructors served them. Second-year enrollment increased to forty-four, bringing about plans for the construction of a second dorm and two additional teachers. The third school year included senior classes, and enrollment topped eighty students. While most students reside in Nebraska, students have attended from 26 states and 16 countries.
In August of 1998, the decision was made to remain in Waco, Nebraska, despite some encouragement to move to the Omaha and Lincoln areas. On April 30, 2000, the NELHS Association revised an expansion program to include a 2.8 million dollar expansion. The addition was ready for the start of the 2002-2003 school year tripling the size of the school building.
As of the end of the 2023-24 school year, there have been a total of 870 graduates from NELHS. Throughout its history, NELHS has become well known for an excellent program of Christ-centered education, an outstanding academic program, and a well-rounded, diverse extra-curricular program. NELHS assists parents and congregations to train loyal disciples of Jesus Christ for time and eternity.
