Colby Middle School, Colby KS - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Colby Middle School

Colby Middle School serves grades five through eight in Colby, Kansas, the county seat of Thomas County, a small city on the High Plains at the interchange of Interstate 70 and K-25. The town functions as a regional hub for the surrounding rural area, with anchors like Colby Community College, a downtown civic core, and hospitality businesses along the interstate. The public school district, Colby Public Schools, operates its middle school within the city limits, integrated into the town rather than set apart on a separated campus. A search for recent district-level changes, such as bond elections or curriculum shifts, found little of lasting impact to report.

The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with the largest minority group being Hispanic students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to review. Data on English learner and special education populations, staffing ratios, discipline rates, and chronic absenteeism were all unavailable in this profile; a parent who wants the full picture of student supports and climate would need to ask the school directly.

State testing results from the Kansas Assessment Program are reported for the 2024-25 school year. The school’s proficiency rates in math and English language arts sit at modest levels across all four tested grades. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above is low in fifth grade, rises through sixth and seventh grades, and reaches a notably stronger level in eighth grade. In English language arts, the pattern is similar but more compressed: fifth grade through eighth grade all fall in a narrow band, with none of the grades reaching a high bar. In science, which is tested in only two of the grades, the proficiency rate is below half for fifth grade and above that mark for eighth grade. Across all subjects and grades combined, when placed alongside the other school districts in Thomas County, this school’s overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile, though the cohort is very small. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how instruction and support are structured.

Kansas changed its cut scores in math, English language arts, and science for this testing year, which makes it impossible to compare these results with previous years. The school has no trend line available.

The housing market in Colby is notably more affordable than the national benchmark, with a median home value well below the typical American home. The national 30-year fixed mortgage rate sits in the mid-six-percent range, and the unemployment rate is moderate.

Program offerings at the middle school level were not detailed in the data. The school profiles as a traditional public middle school in a small city that is both a county seat and a rural commerce hub. Parents looking at Colby Middle School will find a setting where affordability and a tight-knit community are clear attributes, while the academic proficiency numbers are an area to examine closely with the school staff. The gaps in the data on special populations, discipline, and attendance are meaningful enough that a family considering this school would benefit from a direct conversation with the principal or a campus visit.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 6%

▼ 34 pts below state median

Grade 623%

School 23% · District 23%

▼ 17 pts below state median

Grade 730%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 39%

▲ 4 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 28%

▼ 22 pts below state median

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 12 pts below state median

Grade 725%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 16 pts below state median

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 33%

▼ 4 pts below state median

Science

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 14 pts below state median

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 43%

▲ 7 pts above state median

This schoolColby Public Schools, 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 5Lower-income19%Higher-income33%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income14%Higher-income44%30 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income14%Higher-income30%16 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income24%Higher-income38%14 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income7%Higher-income6%0 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income8%Higher-income37%28 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income10%Higher-income40%30 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income19%Higher-income48%29 pp gap