Goessel High, Goessel KS - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Goessel High

Goessel High serves grades six through twelve in a single building on Main Street in the very small, rural agricultural community of Goessel, Kansas. The town sits in Marion County amid flat wheat-growing land, and its Mennonite heritage is woven into local life through institutions like the Bethesda Home and the Mennonite Heritage Museum. The school is physically integrated into the compact town center, not set apart on a separate campus, and the district, Goessel USD 411, is one of the area's key employers alongside agriculture and the Bethesda care facility.

The school is small, with an enrollment that reflects the size of the community it serves. The student body is predominantly white, with a small share of students who are Hispanic and a very small share who identify as two or more races. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that is moderate for a rural Kansas school. The school serves grades six through twelve, so it functions as both a middle school and a high school under one roof.

State testing results from the most recent year show a mixed picture. In English language arts, seventh graders posted a strong proficiency rate, while sixth and eighth graders were lower. In math, the pattern was similar: seventh graders were the strongest, with a moderate proficiency rate, while sixth graders were very low and eighth graders were in the middle. Eighth grade science results were moderate. The school's overall proficiency index, which averages performance across tested subjects and grades, placed it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Marion County. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly around how the school supports students who are not yet meeting benchmarks and how it addresses the variation between grade levels.

The school serves grades six through twelve, so it functions as both a middle school and a high school. Because it includes high school grades, a graduation rate would normally be reported, but none was available in the data. A parent may want to ask the school directly about its graduation rate and postsecondary outcomes.

The community context is important for understanding the school. Goessel is a very small, rural agricultural town with deep Mennonite roots. The economy is tied to farming, the Bethesda Home, and the school district itself. Housing values are well below state and national medians, and the town has seen slow or flat population growth over recent decades. The school buildings sit along Main Street, integrated into the town center rather than on a separate campus. The district, Goessel USD 411, did not have any recent parent-relevant changes documented in available sources.

For a family considering Goessel High, the picture is one of a small, rural school where academic performance varies by grade and subject. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among Marion County districts, a fact a parent would want to discuss with the school to understand how the school identifies and supports students who are below benchmark. The school's size means students likely receive more individual attention than they would in a larger setting, and the community is tight-knit, with a strong agricultural and Mennonite identity. The lack of a reported graduation rate is a gap a parent should ask about directly.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=80%Cohort of 24 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

348 schools plotted. 12 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 611%

School 11% · District 11%

▼ 30 pts below state median

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 35%

even with state median

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 7 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 637%

School 37% · District 37%

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 770%

School 70% · District 70%

▲ 29 pts above state median

Grade 846%

School 46% · District 46%

▲ 9 pts above state median

Science

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 5 pts above state median

This schoolGoessel, 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.