The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in Science. The lowest is 43% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lacygne Elem
Lacygne Elementary sits in the small Linn County town of La Cygne, a rural residential community along the Marais des Cygnes River in eastern Kansas. The town’s population has been declining, and its housing stock is modestly priced relative to state and national benchmarks. The school serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade and is part of Prairie View USD, a district that also includes Parker Elementary, Prairie View Middle School, and Prairie View High School. The secondary campuses appear to be located outside the immediate town center, so families with children at multiple grade levels may need to plan for some driving between buildings.
The school’s enrollment is small. A substantial majority of students are white, with a small number of Hispanic students, a small number of students who identify with two or more races, and very small numbers of Black and American Indian or Alaska Native students. More than half of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a share that indicates notable economic need in the community. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school about how these populations are served.
State testing results from the Kansas Assessment Program give a mixed picture across grades and subjects. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above in third and fourth grade was roughly the same, while fifth grade was lower. In English language arts, third grade was the weakest spot, while fourth and fifth grade both reached the same higher mark. Science, tested only in fifth grade, showed the strongest result among all tested subjects, with a majority of students meeting the proficiency bar. Kansas made changes to its cut scores in recent years, which makes direct comparisons to earlier years uncertain. Still, the overall proficiency picture across all tested grades and subjects places Lacygne Elementary in the top quartile relative to other districts in Linn County, a small three-district field. That means the school’s performance was stronger than the county median, but the county itself is a limited comparison set.
The school does not serve middle or high school grades, so there is no graduation rate or advanced course access to report here. Families who want to understand the full academic pathway their child would follow after fifth grade will need to look at Prairie View Middle School and Prairie View High School separately.
The school is not a charter and its Title I status was not reported. Enrollment by grade shows a bulge in prekindergarten and kindergarten, then a drop in first and second grade, and a small rebound in third, fourth, and fifth grade. The pre-K program may draw families from outside the immediate attendance area. The district’s publicly reported information does not include recent strategic changes or initiatives, so there is little to point to in terms of new programming or facility improvements.
La Cygne itself is a town with a community park, a campground, a swimming pool, ballfields, and the nearby La Cygne Lake with its Linn County Park. The town has a handful of churches and basic services. The BNSF Railway runs through town. The major employer in the broader area is likely the Evergy coal-fired power plant at La Cygne Lake, though that was not confirmed in the sources found. For a family considering this school, the academic picture is one of a small rural elementary where math results trail English language arts and science results are the strongest single point. The economic conditions of the community are modest, and the school serves a population where a majority of families qualify for income-based meal assistance. The school’s performance, relative to a small county cohort, is competitive at the top of that narrow field.
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