Central Middle, Kansas City KS - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Central Middle

Central Middle, located in Kansas City, Kansas, serves the district's sixth through eighth graders. The school enrolls a sizable student body, a typical size for a middle school in an urban district. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with a smaller number of Black, Asian, and White students also represented. A substantial majority of students come from low-income households, as measured by eligibility for federal meal assistance. This level of economic need is a characteristic of the school’s community and district.

In terms of academics, Central Middle's state test results place its overall proficiency in the bottom quarter relative to other districts in Wyandotte County. Across the three middle school grades, the share of students scoring proficient or above on the Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) in math, English language arts, and science is low. In math, proficiency rates drop sharply as students advance, reaching a very small fraction of eighth graders. In ELA, the rates are somewhat higher in sixth and seventh grade but decline in eighth grade. The eighth-grade science proficiency rate is also low. Kansas adjusted its cut scores in math and ELA for this testing cycle, which makes direct year-over-year comparisons with prior results uncertain. A parent reading these results will likely want to ask the school about its academic improvement plans and the specific support it offers for students performing below grade level.

The district is in the middle of a major infrastructure push. Kansas City USD passed a significant bond referendum in late 2022, reported as the largest in the district's history. Those funds are designated for facility improvements, safety upgrades, and technology, so Central Middle may see direct investment in its building and classroom resources as a result. This represents a concrete, near-term change to the school’s physical environment.

The school sits within Kansas City, Kansas, a mid-sized city that shares the broader Kansas City metropolitan area. The city’s character is tied to railroad and stockyard industries, and its neighborhoods reflect a working-class heritage. The community is part of the larger KC metro, giving it access to regional amenities. Broad information on walkability, local employers, and civic anchors specific to the Kansas side of the city was not readily available in search results.

For a family considering this school, the picture is straightforward. Central Middle is a high-needs school in an urban district, serving a predominantly low-income and Hispanic student body. Its state test results are among the lowest in the county, a fact that any parent would want to weigh carefully and discuss with the school’s leadership. The district bond program may bring visible improvements to the school’s facilities and technology in the years ahead. There is no data on the school’s course offerings, gifted programs, or disciplinary environment, so a family with a student interested in specific academic pathways or needing a particular behavioral support structure would need to get that information directly from the school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 610%

School 10% · District 12% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 79%

School 9% · District 8% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 26 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 81%

School 1% · District 11% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 614%

School 14% · District 17% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 715%

School 15% · District 17% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 86%

School 6% · District 19% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Science

Grade 84%

School 4% · District 10% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

This schoolKansas City, 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-income15%Higher-income7%7 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income16%Higher-income12%4 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income7%Higher-income5%2 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income11%Higher-income10%1 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income10%Higher-income5%5 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income1%Higher-income0%1 pp gap