The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in English language arts. The lowest is 18% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Paul B Cooper Elem
Paul B Cooper Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade and is part of the Derby school district, though its physical location is within the city of Wichita. This is a neighborhood school whose student body is characterized by diversity and a high level of economic need. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a pattern that aligns with many schools in this part of the county.
The student population reflects substantial ethnic variety. The largest group is Hispanic, followed by White students, and then smaller shares of Asian, two-or-more-races, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. The enrollment is small, with a total student count that makes it one of the smaller elementary schools in the area. Class sizes appear moderate across the grade levels.
On state assessments administered through the Kansas Assessment Program, proficiency rates are considerably below the midpoint among districts in Sedgwick County. In English language arts, the share of students meeting the proficient or above benchmark ranged from about a third of third graders down to about a fifth of fifth graders. Math proficiency was lower, with rates in the range of a fifth or less across grades three through five. Science achievement, tested in fifth grade, was similarly in the range of about a sixth of students reaching proficiency. The district’s overall performance profile placed the school in the bottom quarter relative to other districts in the county. Parents may want to discuss with the school what academic supports are in place and how progress is being tracked, especially given that Kansas changed cut scores for these assessments in recent years, which can make year-to-year comparisons uncertain.
Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism and discipline was not available in the source material, so those dimensions of school climate cannot be described here. No information was provided about program offerings such as gifted education, arts, or specials, so that aspect remains opaque.
The school sits within the Wichita city limits but is served by Derby USD 260, a district that operates its own schools across a wider area. Wichita itself is Kansas’s largest city and an industrial and commercial hub anchored by aerospace manufacturing. The economy is tied to companies such as Spirit AeroSystems, Textron Aviation, and Bombardier Learjet, along with a major Air Force base. Housing in the immediate zip code around the school is notably affordable compared with state and national averages, with both home values and rents below typical benchmarks. The neighborhood’s housing stock is older and more modest, consistent with the school’s high eligibility for assistance programs.
The district’s publicly reported information did not turn up any major recent changes or initiatives that would be relevant to a parent evaluating the school, so there is no district-level narrative to add. The school appears to operate as a traditional elementary with no charter or magnet designation.
For a family considering this school, the central factors are its economic context and its academic performance, which lags behind most other elementary schools in the county. The student body is diverse, the setting is urban and established, and the surrounding housing market is among the more affordable in the region. A parent would want to understand what specific academic interventions and enrichment opportunities are available, as those are not detailed in the available data.
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