The top reported proficiency rate is 22% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Chetopa High
Chetopa High serves grades six through twelve in the small, agricultural community of Chetopa, Kansas, a town that calls itself the Pecan Capital and the Catfish Capital. The school is part of the Chetopa-St. Paul district, which recently formed a recreation commission that supports youth athletics and is adding visual and performing arts offerings. The district has also implemented a Multi-Tiered System of Supports model for reading across its elementary campuses and integrated new reading and math curricula, changes that feed into Chetopa High as students move up.
The school is small, with an enrollment that reflects the town's population decline. Chetopa has lost residents over recent decades, and the school's grade-level groups are correspondingly small. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that places the school in a high-need context. The student body is predominantly white, with small numbers of students who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native, two or more races, Hispanic, Black, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.
State testing results for the most recent year show that proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science are low. In seventh-grade math, roughly one in five students scored at the proficient level or above. In eighth-grade math and eighth-grade science, no students reached that threshold. In English language arts, about one in four seventh graders and roughly one in six eighth graders scored proficient or above. The school's overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, places Chetopa High in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Labette County. The state changed its cut scores for math, English language arts, and science in this testing cycle, which means these results reflect a new, more demanding standard and are not directly comparable to prior years. A parent may want to discuss with the school how the new cut scores affected these results and what the school's plan is for improvement.
The school serves grades six through twelve, so it includes both middle school and high school students in one building. No graduation rate data was available for this school, and no information on chronic absenteeism or discipline was provided. The school's website and program offerings were not included in the data, so a parent may want to contact the school directly to learn about course options, extracurriculars, and support services.
The district has made recent pedagogical changes that affect Chetopa High's feeder elementary schools. Both elementary campuses have implemented a Multi-Tiered System of Supports model for reading, with specific interventions aimed at getting every student to grade level. New reading and math curricula have also been integrated into the elementary instructional calendar. The district recently formed a recreation commission that supports youth athletics and is adding visual and performing arts offerings, which could benefit Chetopa High students as they move up.
Housing in the area is affordable, with home values well below state and national benchmarks. The local economy is driven by agriculture, pecan harvesting, and livestock farming. The town's small size and rural character mean that residents may commute to nearby larger cities for employment. The school itself is integrated into the town's fabric, with civic institutions like the public library and city hall within a short distance.
For a family considering Chetopa High, the picture is one of a very small rural school serving a high-poverty community, with state test results that are low relative to other districts in Labette County. The district has made recent investments in reading instruction and curriculum at the elementary level, and a new recreation commission is expanding extracurricular options. A parent would want to speak directly with the school about academic support, course offerings, and postsecondary planning, as those details were not available in the data reviewed.
See more original research from School Decision →