The top reported proficiency rate is 8% in English language arts. The lowest is 3% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on School for Deaf
The School for Deaf in Kansas is a state-operated district serving students from preschool through twelfth grade. It is a specialized setting designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The district operates two schools: an elementary school and a high school, both located in Johnson County. Because this is a special-purpose district with a specific enrollment focus, it sits outside the typical measurement frameworks used for general-purpose public school districts.
State testing data for the district shows performance across math, English language arts, and science at grades four, five, and eight. In math, none of the fourth-grade students met the state's proficiency standard. Fifth-grade math followed the same pattern. In eighth-grade math, a small share of students scored at the proficient level or above. In English language arts, fourth-grade students had a zero percent proficiency rate. Fifth-grade ELA showed a modest share of students reaching proficiency, while eighth-grade ELA had a slightly higher share, though still a small fraction of test-takers. Science results at fifth grade showed a comparable modest share of students scoring proficient, while eighth-grade science posted a zero percent proficiency rate.
The district's overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile when compared to Johnson County's districts. This comparison set includes seven districts total. The chronic absenteeism rate for the School for Deaf is higher than any of the other districts in the county, also placing it in the bottom quartile for that metric. A four-year graduation rate was not available in the data, so it cannot be reported here. The district's per-pupil spending figure was also missing.
Enrollment in the district is small, with the largest single cohort in the twelfth grade and the smallest in kindergarten and fifth grade. The student body is majority white, with Hispanic students making up the second-largest racial or ethnic group, followed by Black students and those identifying as two or more races. Asian students and American Indian or Alaska Native students each represent a small share of enrollment. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch was not provided. Information on students with individualized education programs and English learners was also missing from the data.
No data was available on the district's locale classification, discipline rates, course access, staffing, or student attendance patterns. The school environment and access section was largely empty. A search for recent district changes or initiatives that would be relevant to a parent or resident turned up general program descriptions rather than specific, actionable developments from the last few years, so nothing in that category can be reported.
This is a district that exists to serve a specific population, and its testing results should be read in that context. The scores reflect a small student body taking general state assessments, which are not designed for a deaf or hard-of-hearing population. A parent considering this district would want to speak directly with school staff about how academic progress is measured and what the district's own benchmarks look like, since the state's proficiency data may not capture the full picture of student growth. The high chronic absenteeism rate is another point a family would want to understand in more detail, as it could relate to the medical and logistical needs of the student population. The absence of a graduation rate makes it harder to assess how students fare as they approach the end of high school. A family evaluating this district should prioritize a direct conversation with the school to fill in these gaps.
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