West Elk Schools, Howard KS - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on West Elk Schools

West Elk Schools is the single pre-kindergarten through grade twelve school serving the rural community of Howard, Kansas, a small county seat in Elk County. The school enrolls a modest number of students, with a student body that is predominantly white and includes a substantial share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Hispanic and Native American students each make up a small but notable part of the population.

Academically, West Elk’s state testing results come from the Kansas Assessment Program, though the state has changed its scoring standards in recent years, making direct year-over-year comparisons unreliable. In math, proficiency rates across grades three through eight vary: in some grades roughly one in five students met the bar, while in others about half did. English language arts results show a similar range, with the strongest performance in third and fifth grades and softer results in seventh and eighth grades. Science testing, administered in fifth and eighth grades, showed a markedly higher proficiency rate in fifth grade than in eighth grade. When the school’s combined proficiency across all tested subjects and grades is measured against the two other reporting districts in Elk County, West Elk posts the highest index among them, placing it at the top of that small countywide comparison set.

Several key metrics are missing from the available data. A four-year graduation rate is absent, and there is no information on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, staffing ratios, or course access such as Advanced Placement or career and technical education. For a parent weighing the school, these gaps are worth raising directly with the school or district. The school’s status as a single building serving all grades may mean that some data points typical of larger systems are simply not collected or reported at the school level, but without the figures, it is not possible to draw conclusions about those areas.

The community around West Elk is quiet and rural. Howard is a county seat with a traditional downtown grid housing city hall, a public library with limited weekly hours, a senior center, and a small museum complex. Three city parks offer playgrounds, sports courts, a swimming pool, and a walking path. No major private employers were identified in publicly available sources; the city government itself provides utility services and is likely a key local employer. Housing values in the area are low compared to both the Kansas and national medians, making homeownership relatively affordable. The West Elk district recently undertook a major capital construction investment, a notable commitment to facilities for a rural system of its size.

West Elk Schools fits a family looking for a small, unified school that serves the full K-12 span in a tight-knit rural setting where the school sits within the town rather than on a distant campus. Academically, proficiency is uneven by grade and subject, but the school ranks highest among the county’s districts in overall tested performance. The missing data on graduation rates and program offerings means a family would want to verify those details directly, particularly for the high school years. The broader community offers limited amenities and employment, but housing is affordable and the district has shown financial investment in its facilities.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=80%Cohort of 26 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 319%

School 19% · District 16% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 22 pts below state median

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 35% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 39% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 33% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median

Grade 736%

School 36% · District 34% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 19% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 358%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 35% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median

Grade 557%

School 57% · District 52% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 41% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median

Grade 728%

School 28% · District 25% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 28% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median

Science

Grade 557%

School 57% · District 45% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 19% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 16 pts below state median

This schoolWest Elk, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income46%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income46%5 pp gap