The top reported proficiency rate is 47% in English language arts. The lowest is 32% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Chanute Elementary School
Chanute Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the Chanute Public Schools district. It is the only elementary school in the district, and with an enrollment that is large for a single elementary building, it draws from across the city. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population that is the next largest group, and small shares of students who identify as two or more races, Black, Asian, or American Indian. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a higher-poverty context than many of its peers.
The school sits in Chanute, a small Midwestern city that has long served as a trading and shipping center for the surrounding agricultural and oil-producing region. Chanute has a traditional downtown with a Main Street commercial core, a historic railroad depot, and cultural institutions such as the Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum and the Chanute Historical Museum. The city operates its own electric, gas, water, wastewater, refuse, and broadband utilities, giving it a public-utility town character that is somewhat unusual for a community of its size. Major employers include Ash Grove Cement, Spirit AeroSystems, Neosho County Community College, and the city itself. The population has been gradually declining over recent decades, consistent with many small Midwestern towns, though a recent estimate suggests possible stabilization. Housing values in the area are well below the state and national medians, making homeownership relatively affordable, and the local economy includes a mix of manufacturing, agriculture, and higher education.
Chanute Elementary School serves prekindergarten through fifth grade, and the school's academic performance on the Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) shows a mixed picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates across grades three through five cluster around the midpoint, with the fifth-grade rate reaching a level that is the strongest among the three tested grades. In mathematics, the pattern is more uneven: third and fourth grade rates are lower, while fifth grade shows a notably higher rate. Science, tested only in fifth grade, falls in a lower range. The school's overall proficiency index, which averages results across all tested subjects and grades, places it in the top quartile relative to the other districts in Neosho County. That comparison set is small, with only two districts in the county, so the top-quartile position reflects a narrow field. Kansas changed its cut scores for math and English language arts in the 2024-25 school year, which means these results cannot be directly compared to prior years, and a parent should treat this year's numbers as a new baseline.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, and course access were not available in the source materials, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about class sizes, teacher experience, and how the school tracks attendance patterns.
Chanute Elementary is the only elementary school in the district, which means all elementary-aged children in the city attend here. The district also includes a middle school and a high school, so a family with children across multiple age bands will move through the same system. The district brief turned up little in the way of recent major changes or strategic initiatives, so a parent may want to ask the school or district office about any current priorities around curriculum, early literacy, or math instruction.
Housing in Chanute is affordable relative to both the state and the nation, with home values well below the Kansas median. The local economy includes a mix of manufacturing, higher education, and municipal services, and the city's population has been gradually declining, though a recent estimate suggests possible stabilization. For a family considering Chanute Elementary, the school offers a single elementary pathway through the district, a student body where a majority of families qualify for income-based meal support, and academic results that are strongest in fifth-grade English language arts and math but softer in the earlier grades and in science. A parent may want to ask the school about its approach to early literacy and math intervention, particularly in third and fourth grade, where proficiency rates are lower.
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