Nlc Elementary School, Americus KS

Original Research by School Decision on Nlc Elementary School

NLC Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through eighth grade in Americus, a small rural community in Lyon County. It is part of the North Lyon County school district, whose headquarters are also in Americus. The school’s enrollment is small for a PK–8 building, and its student body is predominantly white. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

State assessment results from the Kansas Assessment Program are available for grades three through eight in math and English language arts, and for grades five and eight in science. Performance varies by grade and subject. In several elementary grades, a majority of students met the state’s proficiency standard in ELA, while math results were more uneven. In the middle grades, sixth grade showed notably lower proficiency in both math and ELA, a dip that a parent may want to ask the school about. Science results were solid, with higher proficiency in eighth grade. The school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile among the four districts in Lyon County. However, the state changed its cut scores for math and ELA in the most recent testing year, so direct comparisons to prior years are not possible.

The school operates as a traditional public school; it is not a charter or magnet. No data was available on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, or course access. Graduation rate is not applicable since the school does not serve grades nine through twelve. Students move on to Northern Heights High School, located on a separate campus east of Allen.

Americus itself is a quiet, primarily residential town that has experienced population decline in recent years. Its commercial activity is limited to a Main Street corridor, a seasonal farmer’s market, and a few civic buildings. No major private employers are documented in the town; many residents likely commute to nearby Emporia, which is a short drive south along U.S. Route 50. The school district is one of the notable public-sector employers in the area. Housing values are below the state median, and rents are moderate. No new housing developments or commercial expansion projects were identified in available sources.

The North Lyon County district does not appear to have undergone any significant recent changes that would affect a family’s decision. The elementary school, early learning center, and district offices are all in Americus, while the high school is on a rural campus a few miles away.

For a family seeking a small, rural school with a stable staff and a mixed academic picture that is generally above the median for the county, NLC Elementary fits that profile. The community offers a low-key, low-cost living environment, though it is shrinking and offers few local amenities. A parent interested in the school’s sixth-grade performance or its program offerings for middle school students would do well to follow up directly with the school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 339%

School 39% · District 39%

▼ 2 pts below state median

Grade 457%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 17 pts above state median

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 619%

School 19% · District 19%

▼ 22 pts below state median

Grade 747%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 12 pts above state median

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 37%

▲ 2 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 362%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 2 pts above state median

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 24%

▼ 18 pts below state median

Grade 753%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 13 pts above state median

Grade 853%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 16 pts above state median

Science

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 14 pts above state median

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 68%

▲ 32 pts above state median

This schoolNorth Lyon County, 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 3Lower-income54%Higher-income69%15 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income20%Higher-income55%35 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income46%Higher-income69%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income31%Higher-income46%15 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income36%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income46%Higher-income54%8 pp gap