Dodge City, KS - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Dodge City

Dodge City Public Schools serves roughly the western Kansas community that shares its name, covering the full Pre-K-through-12 span. The district is the largest among Ford County’s few school systems, but the comparison bucket is small and a parent should keep that in mind when weighing any position against neighbors. On overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades, Dodge City lands in the bottom quartile of that county set, and its chronic absenteeism rate sits in the same bottom quartile, meaning a substantial share of students are missing enough school to draw attention. Per-pupil spending is in the lower range compared to the other districts in the county. These are the comparative facts available; state testing data for the most recent year shows proficiency rates that are low in both math and English language arts across every tested grade. In third-grade math, roughly a quarter of students scored at a proficient level or above, and that figure drops in later grades, settling below a fifth in seventh and eighth grades. English language arts follows a similar pattern, with third grade the relative high point and middle grades clustered around a fifth of students proficient. Science results are a bit higher in fifth grade but drop by eighth grade. A parent should know that Kansas changed its cut scores for the assessment in this period, which makes direct year-over-year comparisons unreliable, but the current numbers are what the state reports.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, making up a very large majority of enrollment. White students account for a modest share, and Black, Asian, and multiracial students each represent small fractions. The share of students from low-income households was not available in the data, nor were counts of students with disabilities or English learners. This is a gap; a parent who wants to understand the level of support for special populations will need to ask the district directly. The enrollment is large for a single district in this region, with a notably even distribution across elementary, middle, and high school grades, which suggests stable enrollment and no extreme bulge in any one cohort.

Housing in the Dodge City area is generally affordable relative to national benchmarks. Home values across the district’s zip codes vary, with the core Dodge City zip sitting below the Kansas statewide average, while some outlying areas are either higher or lower. Values have been relatively flat, with modest declines in the main zip and small increases in a couple of rural ones. A weighted district-wide estimate places typical home values well below the national figure, and monthly mortgage costs at prevailing rates are manageable for a household earning close to the national median income. Rental cost data was not part of the available information. The area’s unemployment rate has been steady and close to the national average.

The district operates a number of elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. No information was available about Advanced Placement, career and technical education, or dual-credit course access; families who want to know the range of high school pathways will need to look into that directly. The data also did not include a graduation rate, so that metric is simply absent from this picture. A search for recent district news or changes of the kind that would affect a parent’s decision turned up no parent-relevant developments; the district did not appear to have undergone a recent boundary change, program launch, or leadership shift that was publicly reported. This means the narrative is built almost entirely on the academic and demographic snapshot available, and a parent will want to fill in the blanks by visiting schools, talking to staff, and reviewing the district’s own materials.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

7,181

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 82%

Black 1%

White 14%

Asian 1%

Two+ 2%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

30%

48%

Gr 4

19%

39%

Gr 5

24%

56%

Gr 6

18%

33%

Gr 7

15%

33%

Gr 8

15%

36%

Math

Gr 3

24%

39%

Gr 4

14%

35%

Gr 5

20%

47%

Gr 6

19%

37%

Gr 7

15%

26%

Gr 8

11%

35%

Science

Gr 5

27%

54%

Gr 8

13%

38%

Schools in this District

11 schools are officially reported under this district.

Beeson Elementary

Linn Elementary

Soule Elementary School

Dodge City Middle School

Dodge City High School

Comanche Middle School

Ross Elementary School

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

26%

Grade 3

18%

Grade 4

24%

Grade 5

22%

Grade 6

17%

Grade 7

16%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

33%

Grade 3

22%

Grade 4

29%

Grade 5

20%

Grade 6

18%

Grade 7

19%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

32%

Grade 5

18%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$216,744

Year-over-year change-1.3%

Range across 6 ZIP codes$160K to $258K

vs. state typical0.88x

vs. national typical0.59x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (6 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
67801	Dodge City	$210K	-1.9%	72.6%
67882	Wright	$258K	+1.0%	19.6%
67842	Ford	$161K	-4.1%	5.7%
67841	Ensign	$187K	+10.5%	1.3%
67876	Spearville	$225K	-2.5%	0.6%
67854	Jetmore	$160K	-1.0%	0.1%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,094/mo

Home price / national median income2.6x

Comparison

State typical home value$246,369 (+3.7% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.