The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in English language arts. The lowest is 15% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Georgia Matthews Elem
Georgia Matthews Elementary serves the Garden City community in southwestern Kansas, a city whose economy is rooted in agriculture and meatpacking, anchored by employers like Tyson Fresh Meats. The school is a kindergarten-through-fourth-grade building within the Garden City public school district, and its enrollment is small relative to many elementary schools. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a smaller white population and modest representation of Asian, Black, and multiracial students.
A parent looking at how students perform on state assessments will find a mixed picture, and one shaped by the reality that Kansas recently changed the cut scores for its math and English language arts tests, meaning the results from the most recent year cannot be directly compared with prior years. In third grade, roughly half of students met or exceeded the state’s proficiency standard in English language arts, while fourth-grade proficiency in that subject was lower. In math, the share of students reaching proficiency was modest in both tested grades. When measured against other schools in Finney County, Georgia Matthews Elementary’s combined proficiency index across subjects and grades sits in the bottom quartile among the two districts in the county. This is a school where a parent may want to look into what academic supports are available and how the school is working to lift performance, particularly in mathematics.
Because the school serves only early elementary grades, there is no high school graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was not available. No information was provided on the school’s Title I status, the number of students receiving special education services, or the count of English learners, all gaps that would help a family understand the full range of student supports and programs in place.
The school is not a charter, and no magnet designation was listed. Information about course access, staffing ratios, and discipline was also absent from the data, so a parent evaluating teacher turnover or class sizes would need to follow up directly with the school or district. The district brief showed no significant recent changes that would affect a family’s decision.
Garden City itself is a regional commercial center and county seat, with a traditional downtown that includes the Finney County courthouse, historic buildings, and a zoo inside a large park. The city has a long history of immigration, and the community reflects that diversity. Housing values in the area are lower than the national median, and the local housing market has seen modest appreciation. The city’s population has experienced a slight decline since the 2020 census, following a period of growth tied to the meatpacking industry. Commute times tend to be short, which is typical for a self-contained city of this size on the High Plains.
For a family considering Georgia Matthews Elementary, the profile that emerges is of a small, diverse, high-poverty elementary school in an agricultural and industrial city. Academic proficiency on state tests is a notable challenge, especially in math. The school serves only the early primary years, so a family would be looking ahead to the district’s other elementary, middle, and high schools as their child progresses. The absence of data on English learner and special education populations is a gap worth exploring, as those services are often central to a school’s daily reality. This is a school that fits a family prioritizing a small neighborhood setting within a district that serves a wide range of students, but one where the academic results suggest a need for active engagement with the school’s instructional approach and supports.
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