The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in English language arts. The lowest is 50% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Central Heights Elem
Central Heights Elem serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the small, predominantly rural community of Richmond, Kansas. The school is part of the Central Heights district, which also encompasses the nearby communities of Lane, Princeton, and Rantoul. Richmond itself is a very small town with a declining population—a trend that has persisted over recent years—and a limited commercial core. Most daily errands require a vehicle, and the area offers little in the way of new housing development. The school campus sits outside the town center, serving a multi-community district that draws from the surrounding countryside.
The student body numbers in the low hundreds for this elementary school, and it is overwhelmingly white in composition, with small shares of Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races, and a very small number of Black students. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a substantial share of families face economic stress. Enrollment is spread fairly evenly across the grades, with a slightly larger kindergarten class and a somewhat smaller prekindergarten group.
Academically, Central Heights Elem posts a proficiency profile that places it in the top quartile relative to other districts in Franklin County—a comparison set that includes four districts. The school’s overall proficiency index across tested grades and subjects is the highest among that group. Looking at individual grade-level results, third and fourth graders show solid proficiency in English language arts, with a majority meeting state benchmarks. In mathematics, third and fourth grade proficiency is also in a comfortable range, though fourth graders outpace third. By fifth grade, proficiency in both subjects drops noticeably: roughly two in five fifth graders are proficient in math, and about half meet the bar in ELA. Fifth graders’ science proficiency is higher, just under three in five. This pattern—stronger early elementary performance and a dip in upper grades—is a feature a parent might want to investigate further with the school to understand the underlying instructional or transition factors.
State testing data are available for grades three through five only, as those are the tested grades. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism and special population counts such as IEP and English learner data were not available in the records provided; a parent may wish to ask the school directly about those supports.
The district brief turned up little of lasting parent-relevant change recently, so no major policy or programming shifts are noted from that research. The school’s program offerings were not detailed in the data, so it is unclear what enrichment or intervention options exist beyond the core curriculum.
Housing in the area is relatively affordable by national standards, with home values in the zip code below the state average and well below the national figure. The 30-year mortgage rate sits in the mid-six-percent range, and the unemployment rate is moderate. For a family considering moving into the district, the housing market is not a barrier in the way it might be in more expensive parts of Kansas.
Central Heights Elem offers a small, rural setting where early elementary achievement is a clear strength, but the drop-off in upper grades is something to watch. The peer environment is predominantly white and economically diverse. For a parent who values a tight-knit, multi-town district with above-county-average elementary test results, this school fits. Those concerned about late-elementary performance trends will want to ask how the school supports students as they approach middle school.
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