The top reported proficiency rate is 64% in English language arts. The lowest is 51% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Central Elem
Central Elementary in Baxter Springs, Kansas, serves grades three through six and is one of the elementary schools in the Baxter Springs public school district. It is a school where most of the students come from families with lower incomes, as a substantial share qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly white, with a meaningful presence of American Indian or Alaska Native students and small numbers of Hispanic, multiracial, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and Black students. Enrollment is small for the grade band it covers.
The town of Baxter Springs sits along the Spring River near the edge of the Ozarks, a short distance from the Kansas-Oklahoma border and not far from Joplin, Missouri. It is a small community with a historic downtown that was once part of Route 66. The town grew early on as a cattle-driving way station and later as a resort destination around its medicinal springs, with Route 66 bringing motels and roadside businesses. Baxter Springs has seen a long-term population decline over recent decades. Housing in the area is well below both the state and national median home values, making it a relatively affordable market. The town has a historic Rainbow Bridge and a Heritage Museum, and Riverside Park along the Spring River serves as a key public space.
On the Kansas state assessments, which are the Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) tests, Central Elementary's results present a mixed picture. In math, proficiency rates shift noticeably by grade. One grade posts a rate that is solidly above the midpoint, another is near it, but the remaining two grades each fall below that midpoint, with one of those showing a particularly low rate. In English language arts, the pattern is somewhat steadier. Two grades score above the midpoint, one is close to it, and one is below, though none of these rates fall as low as the weakest math showing. In science, tested only in a single grade, the proficiency rate sits just around the midpoint.
Taken together across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall academic performance places it in the top quartile when compared to other districts in Cherokee County. That comparison set is limited to the four districts within the county, so a top-quartile position there means it is performing ahead of most peers in a relatively small local pool. A parent should note that the state changed its cut scores in both math and English language arts, meaning performance levels from prior years are not directly comparable, so it is hard to tell from the data alone whether scores are trending up or down.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data was not available on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, or course access, so those dimensions of school life are not captured in this account. No information was found about any recent district-wide changes or strategic initiatives, so that context is absent as well.
For a family considering this school, the core reality is a small, affordable community in a town that has been shrinking for decades, with a school whose proficiency rates are mostly clustered around or above the local average but show real variation by subject and grade. The math results in particular have a wide spread, with one grade performing well and another lagging noticeably, something a parent with a child in that grade band may want to ask the school about directly. The English language arts results are more consistent and generally stronger. Central Elementary is not a school that offers extensive programming beyond the core academics, based on what is available here, so a family looking for specialized magnet or career pathways would not find that here. It serves its community as a straightforward, grade-spanning elementary school in a small, quiet town.
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