The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in English language arts. The lowest is 16% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on West Elk Virtual Academy
West Elk Virtual Academy is the online learning arm of the West Elk school district, serving students from kindergarten through twelfth grade from a base in Howard, Kansas. Because it is a virtual school, its academic pathway differs from a traditional brick-and-mortar setting. A parent considering this school should understand that the model is a full-time remote program, meaning the student works from home with digital curricula and remote instruction rather than attending a physical classroom. This arrangement suits families who want or need a flexible, home-based education, but it also requires a parent or guardian to take an active role in facilitating the school day.
The school serves a notably diverse student body for a rural Kansas school. The largest group of students are white, but a substantial share identifies as Hispanic or Black, and there is a smaller presence of American Indian or Alaska Native students as well as students reporting two or more races. Information on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, students with disabilities, or English learners was not available in the data, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the supports and services it offers for those groups, especially in a virtual setting where special education and language services can look very different than they do in person.
State testing results for the most recent year are available for grades six through eight. Across those grades, reading proficiency falls below both state and national benchmarks, with a weak spot showing in seventh grade. Math proficiency is similarly below average across all three tested grades, with eighth grade producing the lowest results. Science results for eighth grade also come in below typical performance levels. A parent should be aware that Kansas changed the cut scores for these assessments, making year-over-year trend comparisons unreliable. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages performance across tested subjects and grades, places it above the midpoint when compared to other districts in Elk County, a rural county with a very small number of districts. That county-level comparison is a narrow frame: in a county with only a handful of districts, being above the midpoint is a less meaningful signal than it would be in a larger, more competitive pool.
Because West Elk Virtual Academy covers the full K-through-12 span, data that typically applies to high schools, such as a four-year graduation rate, was either missing or not applicable based on the available records. A parent researching the school’s high school outcomes should ask the district directly about graduation rates and postsecondary plans for its virtual students.
The town of Howard, where the district is based, is a small rural county seat with a population that is modest in size. Its downtown is compact, containing city hall, a public library, a collection of historic buildings known as Benson Museums, a senior center, and the chamber of commerce. The city provides water, sewer, and gas services, which suggests a local economy driven by the municipality rather than large private employers. There are three city parks offering playgrounds, a swimming pool, sports courts, and open space, and the public library operates limited weekly hours. There is no public transit system. The district itself recently made a major capital facilities investment during a recent fiscal year, a substantial sum for a rural district, which may signal an ongoing commitment to its physical infrastructure even as it also operates a virtual school.
For a family weighing this option, West Elk Virtual Academy offers a full-time remote education for all grade levels in a small, rural Kansas setting. The academic performance on state tests is lower than state averages, a profile that families may want to explore further with the school to understand how instruction and support work in the online format. The student population is noticeably diverse for the area, which may be a characteristic that some families value and others simply note. The town of Howard provides limited but present civic amenities, and the district has shown financial capacity for investment. This is a school that makes sense for a family committed to the virtual model who is prepared to investigate how academic challenges are addressed within that structure.
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