The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in Science. The lowest is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Oaklawn Elem
Oaklawn Elementary serves students from preschool through fifth grade in the Derby school district, though its Wichita mailing address places it in a densely settled part of Sedgwick County. The school sits outside the Derby city limits, closer to the southeastern edge of Wichita, in an area that blends suburban residential streets with industrial and commercial corridors tied to the region's aerospace economy.
The student body is notably diverse. Just under half of students identify as white, with a substantial Hispanic population at more than a third of enrollment. Smaller shares of students identify as multiracial, Black, Asian, or American Indian. The school enrolls about that many children for a pre-K through grade five building. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which signals a high level of economic need.
Academically, Oaklawn faces serious challenges on the state's Kansas Assessment Program. In third-grade math, about a quarter of students scored proficient or above. By fourth and fifth grade, that share dropped sharply, settling below one in ten. English language arts performance was stronger but still low relative to state expectations, with about a third of third and fourth graders reaching proficiency and a slightly smaller share of fifth graders. Fifth-grade science, tested at the same grade level, showed a somewhat higher proficiency rate than math, though still below most schools in the area.
The school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits in the bottom quarter among districts in Sedgwick County. This is a consistent pattern that a parent may want to discuss directly with the school, particularly to understand what interventions or supports are available. No data on the share of students with individualized education plans or English learner status was available, nor were there figures on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, or course access. The school has no charter or magnet designation, and its Title I status was not reported.
Housing in the immediate zip code around Oaklawn is more affordable than much of Wichita and well below statewide benchmarks. Home values have edged up slowly, while rents have risen at a faster clip. For a family considering the area, the relatively low cost of housing is one draw, but the academic performance data suggests that families should investigate what early literacy and math support programs the school offers and how the district allocates resources to its elementary buildings.
Derby Public Schools, the district that runs Oaklawn, did not have any recent publicly reported changes in leadership, boundaries, or programming. The district itself serves a mix of suburban and semi-rural communities south of Wichita, and Oaklawn is its only elementary school located within Wichita's city limits, which may mean it draws from a different set of neighborhoods and family circumstances than the district's other elementary schools.
For a family weighing this school, the picture is straightforward. Oaklawn serves a high-need population in an affordable part of the metro area, but its test results lag well behind most other schools in the county, particularly in mathematics. A parent would want to visit, ask about Tier I instruction and intervention, and compare supports against other options in the Derby district or nearby Wichita public schools.
See more original research from School Decision →