The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Science. The lowest is 35% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Mulvane Grade School
Mulvane Grade School serves third through fifth graders in the Mulvane school district, a small city straddling the Sedgwick and Sumner county line south of Wichita. The school sits on its own campus, separate from the district’s primary, middle, and high school buildings, which are spread across the community rather than clustered downtown.
This is an intermediate school, the bridge between early elementary and middle school, with an enrollment that is typical for that grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with a much smaller share of Hispanic students and small numbers of students identifying as two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, or Asian. Just under half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure that signals a modest economic mix in the school community.
On the Kansas Assessment Program tests from the most recent school year, proficiency rates varied noticeably by grade and subject. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above was around the midpoint in the district’s home county, Sedgwick County, when averaged across tested grades. The fourth-grade group posted a higher proficiency rate in math than either the third or fifth grade, which lagged notably. Science results, tested only in fifth grade, were close to the school’s own fourth-grade math outcome. Kansas changed its cut scores for these assessments in the same year, so the results cannot be directly compared with prior years to assess growth or decline. When the school’s overall proficiency across subjects and grades is placed next to other districts in Sedgwick County, it sits in the bottom quartile.
Because the school serves only grades three through five, there is no graduation rate, and the school does not report chronic absenteeism data that would offer a fuller picture of attendance patterns. Similarly, information on special education identification and English learner populations was not provided, and no data on discipline, course access, or staffing was available. A parent who wants a sense of how the school supports students with disabilities or how many teachers are in their first years would need to ask the school or district directly.
The community context is straightforward. Mulvane was originally a railroad and agricultural town, and it retains a traditional small-city feel with a Main Street corridor, a historical museum in the former Santa Fe Depot, and long-running community events such as Mulvane Old Settlers. The Kansas Star Casino, opened on annexed land west of I-35, is the most prominent commercial employer in town, but many residents commute to Wichita or McConnell Air Force Base for work—a short drive south on the interstate. The housing market in the school’s ZIP code carries values that track slightly below the Kansas statewide benchmark, and rents are moderate relative to national income levels. The school district itself is a major local employer alongside the casino.
No recent parent-relevant changes in the district were found during research, such as boundary shifts, program launches, or building projects. The district operates four separate campuses for its grade bands, so Mulvane Grade School is the sole site for this age group. For families considering the school, the academic performance picture is the central point to weigh. The proficiency rates, particularly in math for third and fifth graders and in reading across grades, land below county medians. That is the headline. The school serves a straightforward role in a small, stable bedroom community, and any deeper evaluation of its academic support or enrichment offerings would require direct inquiry at the school itself.
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