The top reported proficiency rate is 47% in English language arts. The lowest is 38% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Holcomb Elem 3-5
Holcomb Elementary serves students in grades three through five as an upper-elementary school within the Holcomb district in Finney County, Kansas. The school is one of several buildings serving the small agricultural town of Holcomb, which sits along the Arkansas River west of Garden City. Students feed into the school from the district's primary building and later move to Holcomb Middle School and Holcomb High School.
The student body draws from a town that was shaped by agribusiness and a power plant, and that has seen its population plateau in recent years after decades of growth. The town is young and family-oriented, and the elementary school reflects that community. A substantial share of students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The enrollment is relatively small for an upper-elementary building, with most students identifying as white and a large Hispanic population. The remainder of the student body is composed of children who identify as two or more races, along with a small number of Black students.
State testing results from the Kansas Assessment Program show a varied picture across subjects and grade levels. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above varies considerably by grade. The third-grade cohort performed at a level that is a point of relative strength compared to other grades in the building. Fourth-grade performance was lower, while fifth graders posted the highest proficiency rate in the school for that subject. In math, proficiency rates were broadly similar across all three tested grades, with each hovering near the same mark. On the fifth-grade science assessment, about two in five students met the proficiency bar. The state made changes to its test cut scores in recent years, which means year-over-year trend comparisons are not straightforward. Compared to other districts in Finney County, the school's overall proficiency index lands in the top quartile of the small set of comparable districts. That positioning is a meaningful strength given the relatively modest raw proficiency rates — the school is performing at the stronger end of a county that has a low overall range.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, discipline rates, and course access were not available in the provided records. A parent looking for that information would need to contact the school or district directly. Similarly, information on special education identification rates and English learner services was not included in the data for this school.
The school's location on North Main places it within the town's central civic area, near city offices and the recreation commission. The district's elementary buildings are all in Holcomb itself rather than on separate remote sites, meaning students and families operate within a compact geography. Housing in the area, based on the zip-level home value estimate, sits a bit below the statewide benchmark and well below the national figure, which is consistent with a small Plains town where the median household income is modest.
Holcomb Elementary functions as a solidly performing school within a small, stable rural district. A family considering this school should understand that the student body reflects the town's demographic profile and that while state test scores sit in a modest range, the school compares favorably to the other district in the county. The lack of available data on staffing, discipline, and support services means a prospective parent should ask the school directly about those areas. The community is tight-knit and built around agriculture and local industry, with schools woven into the town's everyday geography.
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