The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in English language arts. The lowest is 45% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Hodgeman County Elementary
Hodgeman County Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in Jetmore, the county seat of Hodgeman County in western Kansas. The school is part of Hodgeman County USD 227 and is one of two schools in the district, the other being Hodgeman County Middle/High School. The elementary school sits in a small rural community that the 2020 census showed with a modest population, one that has been stable to slightly declining in recent years. Jetmore has a traditional Main Street anchored by the historic county courthouse, a city lake, a golf course, and a few local businesses including a grocery store and family-owned restaurants. Agriculture is the leading industry in the area, with government and the school district also serving as significant employers. Housing in the zip code that covers this area is priced well below the Kansas state median and below the national median, which is consistent with a rural county seat in this part of the state.
The school has a modest enrollment for its grade band. As is common in a rural county, the student body is substantially white, with a modest share of Hispanic students and a small number of students who are Black or identify as two or more races. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that is typical for a rural Kansas elementary school. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners was not available from the records we reviewed. A parent may want to ask the school directly about these figures to get a fuller picture of the support services in place.
On the Kansas Assessment Program tests, performance varies by grade and subject. In English language arts, the school shows a pattern where the share of students scoring proficient or above rises and falls across the tested grades, but the overall picture is one where roughly half or more of students in grades three, four, and five meet the state benchmark, and sixth grade comes in above that range. In mathematics, the results are mixed. Third grade posted a share of students meeting proficiency in the higher range, but fourth and fifth grade came in well below that, with a minority of students reaching the proficient mark. Sixth grade math showed a recovery, with a share of students in the general vicinity of half. In science, only fifth grade is tested, and about half of those students were proficient. These are the most recent figures available, though the state made a cut-score change in math that may affect comparability with prior years, so the school may be able to speak to how these results look in context.
The school serves only elementary grades, so there is no graduation rate to review. That measure applies only to high schools. The school environment data, including discipline rates, course access, and staffing ratios, was absent from the information we had to work with. Likewise, the comparison to other districts in Hodgeman County is limited by the fact that the county has only one school district, so there is no meaningful peer group within the county for positioning.
Jetmore is the kind of place where families who want a small, rural, tight-knit school setting will find a natural fit. The town has limited commercial services and no public transit; getting to Dodge City or Garden City for major shopping or medical care requires a drive of about a half hour or more. For a family already rooted in or drawn to western Kansas agricultural communities, Hodgeman County Elementary represents the local public school serving the area. The academic results show a school with some bright spots in English language arts and some soft spots in math that a parent may want to understand better by talking with teachers about how the school supports students who are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks.
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