About Us

Welcome to Starr Elementary, Home of the Stallions!

Principal Selena Valentine, with blonde hair, running through a spirit tunnel of students high fiving and smiling.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to you on behalf of the Starr Elementary staff and students. We hope you find our website useful and informative and find the answers to any questions you have about our school. Starr Elementary is a school of approximately 450 diverse students, kindergarten through grade 5 as well as serving approximately 90 preschool students.

Instruction is provided in a positive, nurturing and disciplined environment. We encourage parental and community participation with regard to our continuing school improvement. Your support of our students’ education is valued and appreciated.

Mission Statement:

Starr Elementary School is a multicultural and diverse learning community. We strive to prepare each student for academic, social and personal success by providing a safe, supportive, challenging and meaningful environment. Parents and the community are encouraged to join us in this task. Together we can, and will, make a difference in the lives of our students.

Starr at a Glance

K-5 Students: 451

Teachers: 26

Number of classrooms per grade level: 3

CEP School: Meals at no cost

Title I School

Preschool Satellite Campus

(Information from Nebraska Dept. of Education, 2025)

Thank you for visiting our website to learn more about our academic opportunities as well as our family events. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us. Selena Valentine, principal

Photo of front of Starr Elementary building

School History
Title I Overview

School History

After sharing our new building with Stolley Park for the 2017/18 and 2018/19 school years, Starr welcomed classes from the GIPS Early Childhood Education program. Starr and Stolley Park staff and students moved in to the new Starr Elementary building in August of 2017 at 1800 South Adams Street while the new Stolley Park Elementary was being built.

The current Starr Elementary opened in 2017 and features a middle-school size gymnasium, cafeteria/commons area, large nurse's office, dedicated music and sensory rooms, as well as counseling and intervention areas. With a dedicated Innovation lab and collaboration center, it is a jewel in the GIPS system. Many community partners are also finding ways to enjoy this space.

The 1964-65 school year marked the beginning of E. F. Starr Elementary School. Five prefabricated buildings were placed on a site north of Stolley Park Road and west of Sylvan. It was originally named Wasmer Annex and enrolled 103 students. This site was soon selected as the location for the new Barr Junior High building, so in 1966 the modular buildings were moved to the location on Wyandotte Street. Three more buildings were added to make a seven room school with office and media center.The newly created school was named for Elias F. Starr, a long time Barr Junior High principal.

In 1972, Starr Parent Teachers Association formally requested construction of permanent facilities because children in the area had been served by temporary classrooms for nine years. In 1973, the Board of Education authorized the new school to be built with funds from a special mill levy.

The five year-old Starr School, along with numerous homes and businesses was destroyed by a series of tornados which hit the city on the night of June 3, 1980. All salvageable equipment and materials from the school were stored. With the help of countless numbers of parents and teachers, temporary facilities were ready for the start of school in August. The reconstructed school was ready for occupancy in January, 1981, with an enrollment of 218. Enrollment has continued to climb, with the present enrollment being roughly 275.

In December 2002 a portable classroom was installed on the school grounds to accommodate Starr's increasing enrollment. A second modular classroom was added during the summer of 2008 to add 2 more classrooms.

During the 2000-2002 school years the Starr PTA worked hard with the parents and students of our Starr school to update the original playground. Over $40,000 was collected in money and donations to replace the weathered wooden structure with not one but two beautiful play structures. Benches and trees were then added to complete the playground renovation.

Title I Overview

Link to the Nebraska Education Profile: http://nep.education.ne.gov/

Purpose of Title I

Designated as Title I, our school receives federal funding to provide supplemental financial assistance and services to our students. The goal is to provide high-quality instructional services, opportunities, and activities to meet the needs of disadvantaged children identified as most at risk of not meeting the state’s challenging academic standards. The purpose of these funds is to help our students meet their educational goals, particularly in reading and math and to support their social-emotional learning needs.

Grand Island Public Schools uses a schoolwide Title I model focusing resources toward preschool, elementary, and one designated middle school. Title I goals also emphasize parent and family engagement in school as staff and parents jointly strive for the successful achievement of all students.

Components of a Title I Schoolwide Program

Conduct an annual self-review and comprehensive needs assessment of the entire school.
Provide opportunities through schoolwide reform strategies for all children to meet the state’s challenging academic standards.
Provide frequent and continuous data to help staff make informed decisions to assist students.
Provide instruction by highly qualified staff.
Conduct activities to engage parents and families.
Provide transitional assistance from preschool to elementary, elementary to middle school, and from middle school to high school.
Conduct ongoing professional learning for staff throughout the school year and summer.

Title I Annual Meeting
As a requirement for all Title I schools, we convene an annual Title I meeting for all parents and guardians, to explain the school’s Title I program, share information about staff, funding, curriculum and assessments, and the parents’ right to be involved in their child’s education. Additional opportunities for parents also function as a space to inform parents about their rights to be involved in the school program and to request additional feedback and input. The annual meeting can be the first step in setting the tone and opening the door for positive school-home partnerships.

Parental Engagement
Parental engagement is an integral part of the Title I program. Parents are encouraged to become partners in helping their children achieve and to become actively involved in all aspects of the process of the Title I program, from the writing of the schoolwide plan to its implementation and evaluation of effectiveness. A strong connection between home and school is a key element in student success. Materials, strategies, and assistance from teachers are available to all parents within a Title I school. Opportunities for active parent participation include school open houses, PTO (Parent/Teacher Organizations), parent/teacher conferences, and upholding the implementation of the school/parent compact. Federal legislation requires schools to utilize a portion of their Title I funds to support parent and family engagement and parents are encouraged to contact the school principal with any comments or suggestions regarding the school’s parent engagement opportunities.

Testing Transparency
The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 states that the parents may request, and the agency will provide the parents on request (and in a timely manner), information regarding student participation in any assessments mandated by section 1111 (b)(2) and by the State or local educational agency, which shall include a policy, procedure, or parental right to opt the child out of such assessment, where applicable.

Notification of Teacher Qualifications
The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 gives parents/guardians the right to request information about the professional qualifications of their child's classroom teachers. Upon request (and in a timely manner), the agency will give parents/guardians the following information about their child's teacher:

Whether the teacher has met state qualifications and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction.
Whether the teacher is teaching under an emergency or provisional teaching certificate.
Is teaching for four or more consecutive weeks who does not meet applicable State certification or licensure requirements.
Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.

Click any of the following items to view the related documents:

Starr Elementary Title I Schoolwide Plan - 2024-2025

Starr Elementary Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy: English | Spanish

Starr Elementary Title I School-Parent Compact

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