Pinewood Elementary School opened in 1974 and is located at 6717 N. 63rd Street in north-central Omaha. Until 1998 Pinewood was a traditional elementary school, serving students in kindergarten through sixth grade. During the 1997-1998 school year, staff began to collect data to determine why Pinewood student achievement was comparatively lower than other schools in the Omaha Public School district (OPS). They found that Pinewood ranked near the bottom of a report of school standardized test scores. At that time, Pinewood staff assessed the data and considered different models of instruction. After research by a leadership team of teachers and parents, Pinewood began multiage instruction in one classroom in the 1998-1999 school year and fully implemented the multiage model in all classrooms by the 2002-2003 school year. Multiage philosophy has proven successful in building a community of learners, encouraging independence, engaging students, and meeting student needs.

2015-16 proved to be a year of transition for Pinewood. Pinewood staff joined 11 other metropolitan area schools as part of the Superintendents’ Plan for School as a Hub of Resources for Families. This grant funded a home visitor, a family facilitator, and a part-time educational facilitator who works with families and students from birth to 3^rd Grade. The goal is to use the school as a base to provide access to community resources for families, as well as to engage families and students in becoming part of the Pinewood community to increase educational achievement for students. The multiage philosophy and delivery model was reassessed in 2015-16 as Pinewood Staff and the Omaha Public School District considered several factors: increasing grade level specific requirements at the state and federal levels, increased number of state assessments at intermediate grade levels, increased budget imitations, student achievement, the planned movement of 6^th grade students to middle school in fall 2016. The decision was made to concentrate on our multiage philosophy in the early years and return to single grade instruction at 2^nd through 5^th grade.

You will continue to see Pinewood continuing to focus on our mission:  Pinewood School is a team of staff, students, parents and the community working together to teach students to become high achievers, life-long learners, and responsible citizens. We serve students from Birth to Prekindergarten through 5th grade.