The top reported proficiency rate is 69% in Math. The lowest is 58% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Wabaunsee Elementary School
Wabaunsee Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the small community of Alma, the county seat of Wabaunsee County. The school is part of the Wabaunsee district, which serves a rural area in the Flint Hills region of Kansas. The town itself is small, with a mix of residential and civic functions, a strong German heritage, and a built environment of native stone buildings that give it the nickname “City of Native Stone.” The district consolidated schools from surrounding communities, and the high school also sits in Alma, making the school system a central institution in town. Housing values in the area are moderately above the state benchmark, and the local economy includes transportation, warehousing, county government, and the school district itself. Growth is slow but steady, and families looking for a rural setting with easy interstate access will find Alma within a short drive of I-70.
The school’s enrollment is small for an elementary serving pre-K through fifth grade. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population comprising roughly one in nine students, and a very small share of Black and multiracial students. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school does not appear to be a Title I school, though the data on that status was not reported, and no information on special education or English learner populations was available. A parent may want to follow up with the school directly on those counts.
Academically, Wabaunsee Elementary posts results that are a clear strength, particularly in the early grades. Across tested subjects and grade levels, the school’s overall proficiency index lands in the top quartile relative to districts in Wabaunsee County, a comparison set that includes just two districts. State assessment data from the Kansas Assessment Program shows that third graders in both math and English language arts reached a high level of proficiency, with a large majority of students meeting the state’s proficiency standard. Fourth graders also performed well, with a substantial majority proficient in both subjects. Fifth grade results are more mixed: math and English language arts proficiency rates were lower, and in science, just over half of students were proficient. The drop from the strong third-grade showing to a more moderate fifth-grade outcome is something a family considering the school may want to discuss with staff, to understand how the curriculum and support evolve across the elementary years.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, and course access were not available. The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes such as boundary adjustments, program launches, or facility projects that would affect families in the near term.
For a parent or resident, Wabaunsee Elementary offers a small, rural educational setting with solid academic performance in the early elementary years. The strong results in third grade and the school’s top-quartile standing within its county suggest a foundation that meets most students’ needs well. The smaller enrollment means class sizes are likely modest, and the school is integrated into a tight-knit community where the school building is close to the town’s civic center. Families whose children are in the upper elementary grades may want to ask about the school’s approach to maintaining proficiency gains through fifth grade, but the overall picture is one of a competent rural elementary school in a stable, slow-growing community.
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