Bennington Elem, Bennington KS - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Bennington Elem

Bennington Elem is the elementary school serving the small, entirely rural community of Bennington in north-central Kansas. The town itself is compact, with civic buildings clustered on a few streets, and it maintains a quiet, small-town character. The school is part of the Twin Valley district and enrolls students from pre‑kindergarten through sixth grade. The student body is predominantly white, with a small share of Hispanic students and a modest representation of two or more races. Just under half of the students qualify for free or reduced‑price lunch, a level that reflects the working‑class and middle‑income character of the surrounding area.

The school’s academic performance, based on state testing from the most recent school year, shows a mixed picture. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places Bennington Elem in the top tier relative to the other district in Ottawa County. That is a strong position within a very small comparison set, but the underlying rates vary notably by grade and subject. Some grade levels show a majority of students meeting proficiency standards in reading and math, while others fall closer to the midpoint. Fifth‑grade mathematics, for instance, has a solid result, and third‑grade reading also stands on stronger ground. By contrast, sixth‑grade math and fourth‑grade reading and math each show lower levels of proficiency. Science, tested only in fifth grade, also comes in below the school’s stronger subjects. Because the state changed its cut scores for both math and English language arts, direct comparisons with prior years are not reliable, so a parent may want to ask the school how current results relate to earlier trends. The overall picture is one of a school where achievement is uneven across grades, with some clear bright spots and some areas that likely receive focused attention.

The school itself is small in total enrollment. Class sizes for individual grades appear manageable, which can allow for more individualized attention. No information was available about course access, program offerings such as gifted or intervention services, or staffing ratios. Those gaps are common for schools of this size and grade span, but a family considering Bennington Elem may want to inquire directly about what academic supports and enrichment are available.

The community context adds to the school’s character. Bennington is a place where home values are roughly in line with the Kansas median, and the local economy appears stable, with modest growth in population since the last census. The town’s amenities are limited to basic services: a city hall, a post office, a few local eateries, and the summer rodeo that draws residents together. There is no public library or transit system identified in available sources. For families who value a close‑knit rural setting and a short walk or drive to school, this environment will feel like a natural fit. For those seeking more diverse peer groups or a wider range of extracurricular options, the small size and homogeneous demographics may feel limiting.

Because Bennington Elem serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate or high‑school‑level data to review. The school’s academic record is defined entirely by its state assessment results, and those show a school that performs above the county median overall but with noticeable variation from one classroom to the next. A parent looking into this school should probably talk with the principal about how the school addresses the weaker grade‑level results, what interventions are in place, and how the recent change in state testing standards affects how the school measures progress.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 52% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 60% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median

Grade 560%

School 60% · District 61%

▲ 19 pts above state median

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 40% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 61% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 56% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 50% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median

Grade 649%

School 49% · District 48% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median

Science

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 42% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median

This schoolTwin Valley, 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-income50%Higher-income71%21 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income31%Higher-income61%30 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income60%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income43%Higher-income53%10 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income13%Higher-income47%34 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income25%Higher-income67%42 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income38%Higher-income56%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income60%Higher-income60%0 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income47%19 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income13%Higher-income19%6 pp gap