The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in Science. The lowest is 53% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Little River Junior High
Little River Junior High serves seventh and eighth graders in the small central Kansas town of Little River. The school is part of the Little River–Windom district and sits within a compact rural community that has been actively investing in its future. The town itself, a few blocks across, underwent a bond-funded school rebuild and enhancement, a reconstruction of its nursing home, construction of a new childcare center, and downtown streetscape improvements. A 25-lot housing development called the Clutter Hill Addition was launched when a community needs assessment found no houses for sale; nearly all lots are now occupied or committed to moderate-income housing funds. A second development phase is underway. This is a community working against population loss and limited housing stock, a context that shapes what families find when they move here.
Academically, Little River Junior High’s performance on the state Kansas Assessment Program places it above the midpoint among Rice County districts in overall proficiency across tested subjects. That is a meaningful signal for a school of this size and grade span. In English language arts and mathematics, proficiency rates in both grades sit at levels that outpace the median for the county. Science results for eighth graders also follow that pattern. Readers should know that the state changed its cut scores for math and ELA in recent years, so direct comparisons with earlier years are not straightforward. Still, the current picture is a positive one relative to other schools in the county.
The student body is small and predominantly white, with a small share of Hispanic students and a very small number of Black students. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that is modest relative to many rural Kansas districts. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available for this profile, so a parent may want to ask the school about those supports directly.
Because Little River Junior High covers only seventh and eighth grades, there is no graduation rate or four-year cohort outcome to report. The school is part of a K-12 district, and families will need to consider the full pathway through the elementary and high school when evaluating the overall experience. The district brief returned little public information about recent curriculum changes, referendums, or property tax shifts, so those topics are left unaddressed.
Housing in the area is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks, with home values markedly below Kansas averages. Rent is also moderate. The town’s deliberate growth efforts mean that available housing is limited in quantity but still within reach for many families. The school, downtown, and civic institutions are all within walking distance due to the town’s small footprint.
For a family considering Little River Junior High, the key takeaway is a small, academically solid school in a town that is deliberately trying to reverse decline through housing development and infrastructure investment. The academic results are stronger than what many similarly sized rural schools in the county show. The peer group is small and predominantly white, and the school’s grade band means that students move on to a different building after two years. Any parent with specific concerns about special education, advanced coursework, or extracurricular access should follow up directly with the school, since those data points were not available in this profile.
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