Hiawatha Middle School, Hiawatha KS

Original Research by School Decision on Hiawatha Middle School

Hiawatha Middle School sits at the center of the Hiawatha school district, serving grades five through eight. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students who are two or more races, Hispanic, and American Indian or Alaska Native. About half of the students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a figure that gives some sense of the economic mix families should expect.

The school’s position relative to other districts in Brown County is based on an overall proficiency index that averages test performance across subjects and grades. On that measure, Hiawatha Middle School sits above the midpoint. That tells a parent this school is performing competitively within a small rural county, but the district-level comparison set includes only a handful of other districts, so the benchmark is narrow.

A closer look at the state assessment results from the most recent testing year reveals a pattern that varies noticeably by grade and subject. In reading and English language arts, fifth graders posted what was the strongest year among the four tested grades; sixth and seventh graders were not far behind, while eighth graders showed a significantly lower proficiency rate. A similar pattern appears in math: sixth graders had the strongest showing, with a solid majority meeting the state’s proficiency standard, while fifth graders and seventh graders were in a lower range, and eighth graders again saw the weakest results. In science, fifth graders were close to that same solid-majority mark, but eighth graders were well below it. The dip in eighth-grade performance across multiple subjects is a pattern a parent may want to ask the school about directly, since it could reflect anything from the transition to more advanced content to cohort-specific factors.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. The available data also does not include information on chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, or discipline, which are pieces of the picture that remain incomplete here. A parent looking for a full read on school climate or teacher experience would need to fill those gaps through a conversation with the school or by visiting.

The community surrounding the school is the small rural county seat of Hiawatha, a town of modest size that anchors Brown County government and agricultural life. The town’s population has been declining, and housing vacancy rates suggest a market with more slack than growth. Homes in the area are priced well below state and national benchmarks, which may make the district an accessible option for families moving into the area. The downtown centers on the courthouse square, and the school is located a short distance south of that core, near the Fisher Community Center. The town’s economy is tied to county government, the school district, and agriculture, with no major new development or growth initiatives publicly reported. For a family considering a move, the area offers a quiet, low-cost rural setting with a historic town feel and modest civic amenities.

No recent changes to district curriculum, referendums, or property tax policy were found in publicly reported sources. A parent looking for the district’s strategic direction or any upcoming shifts in programming will need to seek that information directly from the district office. Hiawatha Middle School presents itself as a solid performer within a small-county context, with clear strengths in certain grade levels and subjects, and some soft spots in the upper middle school years that merit a closer look.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 9 pts below state median

Grade 655%

School 55% · District 55%

▲ 14 pts above state median

Grade 742%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 8 pts above state median

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 4 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 8 pts above state median

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 747%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 6 pts above state median

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 5 pts below state median

Science

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 7 pts above state median

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 11 pts below state median

This schoolHiawatha, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income46%Higher-income74%28 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income44%Higher-income50%6 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income24%Higher-income68%43 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income31%Higher-income35%4 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income19%Higher-income48%29 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income47%Higher-income64%17 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income18%Higher-income63%45 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income21%Higher-income41%20 pp gap