The top reported proficiency rate is 43% in Science. The lowest is 32% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Larned Middle School
Larned Middle School serves grades six through eight in the small county seat of Larned, Kansas. It is part of the Ft Larned school district and is the only middle school in that district. The school is modest in size for a three-grade middle school, which means most students will move through these years in a setting where staff and students know one another fairly well.
The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller but noticeable share of Hispanic students and a handful of students who identify with two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which is consistent with the economic profile of the surrounding community. Larned itself is a stable, slow-growing town where the economy relies heavily on state healthcare and correctional facilities, agriculture, and local government. Housing is affordable, especially when compared to state and national averages, and the town has a compact layout with a traditional business district along its main streets. Families here tend to stay, and the school sees relatively little turnover in enrollment from one year to the next.
On state assessments, Larned Middle School’s results show that a modest proportion of students met the proficiency bar. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above ranged from roughly a quarter to about a third across the three grades. In English language arts, the rate was closer to two in five in sixth and eighth grade, with seventh grade slightly lower. Science results for eighth graders were similar, around two in five. These proficiency rates, when averaged across all tested subjects and grades, placed the school in the bottom quartile relative to the handful of other districts in Pawnee County. It is important to note that Kansas changed its cut scores for these assessments in recent years, so direct comparisons to earlier years are not reliable, and these results represent a new baseline.
The school itself does not report data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing ratios, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about those areas. Likewise, information on special education and English learner populations was not available in the data reviewed. What is clear is that the district, Ft Larned USD, has been making deliberate investments. It adopted a strategic plan through 2028 that prioritizes academic excellence, student well-being, staff recruitment, and facilities. It expanded a free preschool program and added career and technical education courses in welding and construction at the high school level, which can create a pipeline of skilled-trades exposure that eventually reaches middle school students as they plan their high school pathways. The district also approved a new elementary reading curriculum, signaling attention to foundational literacy that feeds into the middle grades.
For a family considering Larned Middle School, the peer environment is likely to be stable and small-town. Academically, the school is working from a baseline where most students are not yet reaching proficiency, but the district is actively investing in programs and curriculum updates. The housing market is inexpensive, and the community is quiet and slow-growing. Parents who want to understand the classroom experience and support for students who are below grade level would benefit from visiting and talking with the school directly about its interventions and enrichment offerings. The school does not serve high school grades, so the graduation rate is not applicable, but the district’s new CTE programs and strategic plan give some sense of the trajectory students can expect as they move into high school.
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