Benson High School is located at 5120 Maple Street in Omaha, Nebraska, in the heart of the historic Benson community. The school was founded in 1904, Benson High is one of the oldest high schools in the state. Its enrollment is approximately 1,500 students. The current principal of Omaha Benson High School is Lisa Dale and the school mascot is the Bunny.
A full renovation of the school was completed in the mid-1990's. Additions included a new science classroom wing, a state-of-the-art auditorium for the performing arts, a gymnasium, a spectacular student commons area and an all-weather track and football field with artificial turf. The football field and track were redone once again during the summer of 2006.
Benson's many distinguished alumni create a rich heritage for the high school. Prominent graduates include Omaha business leaders, journalists, lawyers, educators, doctors, and artists. Among these are Walter Scott, Jr., CEO of Peter Kiewit and Sons; former U.S. Senator David Karnes; Nebraska District 28 Senator Chris Beutler; Judge Walter Cropper; Jan Stoney, politician and formerly the highest ranking female officer at U.S. West; and Omaha Mayor Hal Daub. Other famous alumni include actor Nick Nolte, authors Terry Goodkind and Robert Reed, 1939 Heisman Trophy winner Nile Kinnick, and TV news anchorman Floyd Kalber.
Benson's faculty also has earned recognition in the Omaha community and beyond. In 1993-94, one of Benson's foreign language teachers was awarded "A+ Teacher of the Year" by OPS. Eight faculty members have received the Buffett Outstanding Teacher Award. Benson faculty have been invited to share promising programs with other educators at numerous state, regional, and national conferences. In addition to conducting summer workshops for teachers at Creighton University, one of Benson's chemistry teachers serves as a board member on the Metropolitan Science Fair Committee in Omaha. A Benson math teacher was selected to be a lead teacher for the Nebraska Systemic Math/Science Initiative. Two Benson teachers are serving on the State Curriculum Frameworks Committees. Benson is a state leader in tech prep development and was honored as one of eight U.S. schools selected by NCRVE in 1993 to participate in their Network of Innovative Sites.Benson has a four-period block day and a rich variety of courses. Significant curriculum development occurred in the four years of the Carl Perkins Careers 2000 project, with an emphasis on increasing tech prep offerings, integrating applied curriculum and technology with academics, restructuring the science and math curriculum to a higher level of rigor for the middle 50%, and integrating a career planning and preparation focus into all disciplines. Illustrative of the increased career emphasis in curriculum are the three-year Computer Aided Design program, the two year Engineering Technology program, the Business Communications program, the Entrepreneurship program, and the Medical Biology program. Benson freshmen take a "Success Strategies" course that includes an orientation to high school, computer literacy, career exploration and planning, and instruction in learning styles and strategies and study skills.
In conjunction with the Careers 2000 project, Benson initiated an advisement program, a "Curricular Path" (career cluster) program, a specialized guidance program, and the Omaha Job Clearinghouse senior job shadowing program. In 1994, Benson became one of two Omaha high schools taking part in a three-year demonstration project to test students in basic skills needed in the workplace using the ACT WorkKeys instrument. The faculty is now designing curriculum to address students' needs as defined by this test. Benson is currently participating in NASA's Student Launch Initiative program.