The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in English language arts. The lowest is 46% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Clark Davidson Elem
Clark Davidson Elementary serves children from preschool through fourth grade in Goddard, a fast-growing suburb west of Wichita. As an early elementary school, it does not have graduation rates, advanced coursework offerings, or the kind of program breadth that appears at the secondary level. The school’s academic story comes from state assessment results in math and English language arts for grades three and four, and those results place it above the midpoint among elementary schools in Sedgwick County when overall proficiency is averaged across tested subjects and grades.
On the Kansas Assessment Program, the share of students scoring proficient or above in math falls near the middle of the range for similar schools across the county. In English language arts, proficiency rates are a bit stronger, landing in the upper portion of the county spread. These are solid results for a school serving young children, though a parent may want to look into how the school supports students who are not yet meeting proficiency, since about half of students in each grade fall below that mark. The state’s testing system underwent a cut-score change in recent years, which makes direct comparisons to prior years uncertain, so the most recent snapshot is what matters.
Clark Davidson’s student body is predominantly white, with a notable share of Hispanic students and smaller representations of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a rate that signals a substantial but not majority low-income population. The school is part of the Goddard district, which operates multiple elementary schools across the community, and Clark Davidson sits at the city’s southern edge on Walnut Street. No data on special education or English learner populations was available, so a family with a child who receives those services would want to ask the school directly about supports and staffing ratios.
The community around the school matters. Goddard has transformed from a rural railroad town into a commuter suburb as Wichita’s westward expansion has pushed out along the highway. Population growth has been rapid over the past two decades, and the city’s comprehensive plan aims to preserve a small-town feel while accommodating new development. Housing values in the area run above the Kansas average, and rents are moderate relative to income, reflecting the suburban desirability. The school itself sits in a auto-oriented stretch of the city; there is no documented public transit, and daily drop-off and pickup are likely by car.
The district brief turned up no major recent changes in programs, boundaries, or leadership that would alter a family’s decision. Goddard’s district operates eleven schools in total, and Clark Davidson is one of five elementary buildings. That number of elementary schools across a growing city means attendance boundaries can shift as enrollment pressures change. For a family considering this school, the growth context is worth understanding: the district may need to manage capacity in the coming years, and that can affect class sizes or building plans.
Clark Davidson offers a standard early-elementary program in a growing suburban community. Academic results are respectable relative to county peers, particularly in reading. The combination of moderate economic diversity and rapid community growth suggests a school that is likely stable but not static. For a family seeking a neighborhood elementary school in a west-Wichita suburb that is still building its identity, Clark Davidson fits the profile of a solid, mid-performing option, though the lack of published data on program offerings, staffing ratios, and discipline makes it wise to visit and ask the questions that matter for a particular child.
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