The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in Science. The lowest is 38% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Rock Creek High School
Rock Creek High School serves grades nine through twelve in the Rock Creek district, a consolidated public school system formed by the unification of St. George and Westmoreland schools. The high school itself sits on a separated campus roughly halfway between those two communities, well outside the downtown core of either town. The school’s enrollment is not large, and the student body is predominantly white, with a small share of Hispanic students and very small numbers of Black students and students of two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
St. George is a small town in Pottawatomie County, about seven miles east of Manhattan, Kansas. It functions largely as a bedroom community within the Manhattan metropolitan area, and many residents likely commute to jobs in Manhattan, including at Kansas State University and Fort Riley. The town has experienced steady growth in recent decades, with new residential subdivisions such as Twin Oaks and Powercat Ridge, and the elementary school relocated to a new campus in recent years. The high school’s location on a rural campus between towns means that it draws from a spread-out area, and the school day for most students involves a bus ride.
The most recent state testing data available for academic performance is from the 2018-19 school year, the last set of assessments before the pandemic disrupted standardized testing. In seventh-grade math and English language arts, and in eighth-grade math, ELA, and science, the school’s proficiency rates were below the midpoint when compared to other schools across Kansas. The overall proficiency index, which averages the reported rates across tested subjects and grades, places the school in the bottom quartile relative to the other districts in Pottawatomie County. The school’s eighth-grade math proficiency rate was higher than its seventh-grade math rate, while the two ELA rates were close to each other, and the science rate was roughly in line with the math results. A parent should note that these results are several years old and pre-date the pandemic, so current classroom conditions and recent achievement patterns may differ.
Graduation rate data for Rock Creek High School was not available in the dataset provided. This is not unusual for a school of its type, but a family considering the school would want to ask the district directly about its four-year graduation rate and postsecondary outcomes like college enrollment or career placement.
No information was available about the school’s discipline record, chronic absenteeism rate, staffing ratios, course access, or programs such as Advanced Placement, dual credit, or career and technical education. The school’s website and the district’s communications office would be the natural place to ask about these. Without that information, it is difficult to assess what academic pathways or support systems are available for students who want to pursue college coursework, career certifications, or other specialized tracks while still in high school.
Housing in the area has become more expensive, with home values above the state benchmark and a median home value higher than the national median. The estimated monthly mortgage is a substantial figure, and the rent-to-income ratio is modest, suggesting that renting may be more manageable than buying for some households. The area’s median household income is above the national median, and the local unemployment rate is low. The town’s growth and new housing development suggest an increasing population, which may mean more families enrolling in the district over time.
For a family considering Rock Creek High School, the picture is mixed. The school is a small, rural consolidated high school serving a growing bedroom community, with a student body that is not economically diverse but does have a notable share of families using the lunch program. The most recent test scores were below the county average, though these data are pre-pandemic. The lack of available graduation rate, program offerings, and discipline data means that a parent should plan to do additional outreach to the school and district to fill in those gaps before making a decision. The school’s setting, midway between two small towns, offers a quieter, rural environment away from the larger Manhattan schools, but that also means fewer in-town amenities within walking distance.
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