The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in English language arts. The lowest is 47% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Jackson Heights Elementary School
Jackson Heights Elementary School is a rural public school in Jackson County, Kansas, serving students from prekindergarten through sixth grade. The school is part of the North Jackson district, and its address places it physically outside the town of Holton, though the town serves as the county seat and nearby civic hub. Holton itself is a small agricultural community built around a traditional courthouse square, with a classic downtown grid that remains walkable in its core. Its major employers include the local hospital, the county government, and the public school district. The town’s population has been experiencing a slight decline in recent years, with no mention of major new housing developments in the material reviewed.
The school’s enrollment is small, and it draws from a student body that is predominantly white, with a modest share of students identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native, two or more races, Black, or Hispanic. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic makeup of the surrounding rural area. The school serves grades PK through 6, which means it does not have a high school or a graduation rate to report. Parents with children at this school will eventually need to transition them to a secondary school within the North Jackson system.
On the Kansas Assessment Program tests, proficiency rates varied by grade and subject in the most recent school year. In English language arts, third graders showed a proficiency level well above half, while fourth, fifth, and sixth graders each recorded rates around half or slightly above. In math, proficiency rates were around the midpoint or a little above for third, fifth, and sixth graders, with fourth graders a bit lower. On the fifth-grade science assessment, the proficiency rate was below half. Kansas changed the cut scores for math and English language arts in recent years, so it is not possible to directly compare these results with scores from before that change. That said, when the school is placed against the other elementary schools in Jackson County, its overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades lands in the top quartile of that group. This is a meaningful distinction: the cohort includes only a small number of schools, but the school’s performance is stronger than most of its immediate county peers.
Other data that is often useful for understanding a school’s environment was not available. There is no information on chronic absenteeism, staffing levels, discipline patterns, or course access. The school’s Title I status was also not reported in the data. A parent who wants to know more about classroom conditions or student support would need to ask the school directly.
The North Jackson district did not have any notable recent changes or initiatives surfaced in the publicly available material reviewed. The community and district appear stable, without major shifts in policy or leadership being reported at a broad level.
Housing in the area is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks. For a family considering moving to the attendance zone, the county’s home values are below the state median and well below the national median. The national housing market has seen modest appreciation, and local values have moved in the same direction. The rent market information was not available for this specific area, which is a gap a family would want to fill by checking current listings.
For a family weighing this school, the picture is one of a small, rural elementary school with solid county-level performance and a straightforward set of offerings typical of a school its size. The student body is not highly diverse, and the economic need is present. The academic results are a strength inside the local context, though the absolute proficiency rates are mixed across grades and subjects. A parent considering this school would want to understand how the middle and high school years are structured in the district, since the elementary school does not cover those grades. They would also likely want to follow up on the missing data points around student support and school climate. The school’s size and setting suggest a close-knit environment where families and staff interact regularly, and the surrounding community offers a quiet, small-town rhythm with basic civic and medical amenities within a short drive.
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