Hutchinson Magnet School at Allen, Hutchinson KS

Original Research by School Decision on Hutchinson Magnet School at Allen

Hutchinson Magnet School at Allen serves kindergarten through sixth grade in the Hutchinson Public Schools district. It is a neighborhood elementary and middle school in a mid-sized Kansas city that functions as the county seat of Reno County and a regional hub for south-central Kansas, with an economy anchored in salt mining, healthcare, grain storage, education, and the Kansas State Fair.

The school’s enrollment is moderate for a combined elementary and middle-grade school. The student body is diverse, with a large share of White students, a substantial share of Hispanic students, and smaller numbers of Black, multiracial, Asian, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. A significant majority of students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a higher-poverty context. State data on special education and English learner enrollment was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those programs and supports.

State testing data from the Kansas Assessment Program reveals a mixed performance picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates vary considerably by grade. For third grade, results are around the midpoint. Fifth grade shows a higher share of students meeting the state benchmark. Fourth and sixth grades show noticeably lower proficiency. In mathematics, the pattern is even more uneven. Fifth graders performed at a stronger level, while third graders were below that, and fourth and sixth graders showed considerably lower results. In science, which is tested in fifth grade only, the proficiency rate is roughly comparable to the stronger ELA and math results at that grade. Because Kansas changed its cut scores for the assessment, direct year-over-year comparisons are not valid, making it difficult to gauge trends.

When placed against other elementary and middle schools in Reno County that report comparable testing data, Hutchinson Magnet School at Allen’s overall proficiency index lands below the midpoint of the group. This indicates that, on average across tested subjects and grades, its students are meeting state benchmarks at a rate that is lower than many of its county peers. A family considering this school may want to explore how the school supports students who are below grade level in math and reading, particularly in grades four and six where the numbers are weakest.

No graduation rate data applies, as the school’s grade span ends at sixth grade. There is no state-reported information on chronic absenteeism or discipline. Housing in the surrounding area is notably more affordable than state and national medians. Home values are well below the Kansas average, and rental costs are also lower. This affordability may be a factor for families weighing school options within the city.

Publicly reported information about the district did not turn up any recent major changes to curriculum, boundaries, or programming. The city itself blends small-town civic life with regional draws like the Kansas State Fair and the Cosmosphere aerospace museum, but the school’s walkability and street life are typical for a car-dependent midsized Great Plains city, with downtown commercial activity concentrated around Main Street and the Reno County courthouse.

For a parent, Hutchinson Magnet School at Allen offers a relatively small, diverse K-6 setting in a low-cost housing market. The academic picture shows real variation by subject and grade, with some grades performing better than others. A family considering this school would want a clear understanding of how the school targets instruction for students who are not yet proficient, especially in the grades where results are softest.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 17% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 413%

School 13% · District 16% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 29% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 622%

School 22% · District 27% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 35% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 33% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 40% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 30% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Science

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 32% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

This schoolHutchinson Public Schools, 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 3Lower-income32%Higher-income69%37 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income39%Higher-income69%30 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income12%Higher-income55%43 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income27%Higher-income38%11 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income69%33 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income12%Higher-income46%34 pp gap