Derby Middle Sch, Derby KS - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Derby Middle Sch

Derby Middle School serves sixth through eighth graders in the Derby USD 260 school district, a growing suburban community just south of Wichita. The school enrolls a substantial student body that is fairly balanced across the three grade levels. Reflecting the community’s economic diversity, a significant share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The student body is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic population and smaller shares of Black, Asian, multiracial, and other groups.

State assessment results from the Kansas Assessment Program for the most recent school year show that across tested subjects and grades, the school’s proficiency rates are notably below the midpoint among districts in Sedgwick County, landing in the bottom quartile when compared with its county peers. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above varies by grade: sixth grade and seventh grade each see roughly a quarter to a third of students reaching that level, while eighth grade posts a higher proficiency rate, approaching half. In English language arts, the pattern is more consistent across grades, with more than a third of students proficient in each grade. Science is assessed only in eighth grade, where the proficiency rate is similar to the ELA rates. Because Kansas recently changed cut scores for these assessments, the results should be interpreted with some caution; the current data cannot be directly compared with prior years.

As a middle school, Derby Middle does not have a graduation rate. No chronic absenteeism data were reported for this school, so parents looking into attendance patterns will need to ask the school directly. Information about course offerings, staffing ratios, and other program details was also not available in the state data, making it difficult to assess the breadth of academic or extracurricular options beyond what any visitor might learn from the school’s own materials.

The surrounding community of Derby is one of the faster-growing cities in Kansas, with a population that has roughly doubled over the past couple of decades. The city’s economy is anchored by aircraft manufacturing employers such as Spirit AeroSystems and Textron Aviation, as well as McConnell Air Force Base and the school district itself. Housing values in the area are above the Kansas median, and the local rent-to-income ratio suggests that the market is somewhat less strained than the national average, though affordability remains a consideration for most families. Derby’s built environment is largely suburban and car-dependent, with a network of parks, a recreation center, a public library, and a limited city bus service. Schools are spread across separate campuses rather than clustered in a downtown core.

For a family considering this school, the key takeaway is that Derby Middle operates in a stable, growing district with a solid community infrastructure, but its academic performance on state assessments is below the average of other districts in Sedgwick County. A parent may want to investigate what additional academic supports or enrichment programs are available, and whether the school offers any advanced or specialized courses beyond the standard curriculum—details not captured in the available data. The demographic profile reflects a largely middle-income suburban community with a measurable share of economic need. The absence of data on things like chronic absenteeism and staffing means a parent should follow up directly with the school to get a fuller picture of daily operations and student support.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 31% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 728%

School 28% · District 32% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 50% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 637%

School 37% · District 39% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 734%

School 34% · District 40% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 42% · ▼ 5 pts below district

even with state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Science

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 40% · ▼ 3 pts below district

even with state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

This schoolDerby, 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 6Lower-income29%Higher-income45%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income41%16 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income24%Higher-income50%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income17%Higher-income43%25 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income21%Higher-income35%14 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income30%Higher-income58%28 pp gap