The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in Math. The lowest is 52% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Hillsboro Elem
Hillsboro Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the Durham-Hillsboro-Lehigh school district, a small rural district in central Kansas. The school sits within the town of Hillsboro, a community shaped by its Mennonite heritage and the presence of Tabor College, a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Mennonite Brethren church. The town’s economy is anchored by education, manufacturing, and agriculture, and the elementary school is integrated into the community fabric rather than isolated on a separate campus. Enrollment at the school is moderate for an elementary building serving these grades, with groups of roughly similar size across each grade level from kindergarten through fifth. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a share that suggests a meaningful number of families work with modest incomes.
The student body is predominantly white, with a small Hispanic population and a very small number of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent who wants to understand how the school serves those populations would need to ask the school directly. The school is not a charter and its Title I status is not reported in the available data, so it is unclear whether the school receives federal funding targeted at high-poverty populations.
On state assessments, Hillsboro Elementary’s results show a pattern worth a close look. In math, proficiency rates across grades three through five sit at levels that place the school well above the midpoint among the districts in Marion County. By one combined measure of proficiency across all tested subjects and grades, the school ranks in the top quarter of the county’s districts. That is a strong showing in this local context. In English language arts, the results are more uneven. Third graders performed at a level that matches the school’s math strength, but the rate dropped in fourth grade and fell again in fifth grade, where just over half of students met the proficiency bar. Fifth-grade science results were similar to the fifth-grade ELA figure, with roughly half of students reaching proficiency. The declining trend in reading as students move through the upper elementary grades is something a parent may want to explore further with the school, especially if they have a child approaching fourth or fifth grade.
The school serves only elementary grades, so there is no graduation rate to report and no data on course access, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism. The district brief turned up no recent bond elections, curriculum changes, or other major shifts that would alter a family’s day-to-day experience. The district appears to have been operating without visible disruption.
Housing in Hillsboro is more affordable than the state average, which is typical for rural Kansas communities. The median home value is well below Kansas’s statewide figure, and the national median household income is higher than what a typical family in this community likely earns. The town’s population has been stable with a slight downward tilt, and there is no sign of new housing development pressure. For a family considering a move to Hillsboro, the housing market is accessible, and the elementary school’s academic record in math and early literacy is a clear draw, while the drop in upper-grade reading scores warrants a direct conversation with the principal or classroom teachers.
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