The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in English language arts. The lowest is 20% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Damar Elementary School
Damar Elementary School is a small, rural public school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in northwest Kansas. It is part of the Palco school district and sits in the tiny community of Damar, a place of robust French Canadian heritage that describes itself as the "Acadia of the West." The town centers on a compact Main Street anchored by St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, with a cafe, a city office, and a heritage visitor’s center. The surrounding landscape is open agricultural plains, and the nearest state park and reservoir are roughly ten miles away. Damar has experienced population decline from an earlier commercial period, and current development efforts focus on heritage preservation rather than new housing or growth.
The school itself is very small, serving around fifty children across all seven grade levels from PK through fifth grade. The student body is entirely white. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a measure of economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported.
State assessment results are available from one school year and cover only third and fifth graders in math and English language arts. In third-grade math, about three in ten students scored proficient or above. In fifth-grade math, that figure dropped to about one in ten. In English language arts, roughly four in ten third graders scored proficient, while fifth-grade proficiency fell to about two in ten. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint when compared to other schools in Rooks County. Because the data comes from a single year and the school is very small, these results should be read as a narrow snapshot. A parent may want to ask the school about more recent testing trends and how the school supports academic progress, especially in the upper elementary grades.
The school’s small size is a defining feature. With single-digit enrollments in most grade levels, classes are likely very small, and students will receive a high degree of individual attention. The community context is quiet and tight-knit, with limited commercial amenities and very little street life. The nearest high school is in the neighboring town of Palco, as Damar’s own high school unified with Palco’s decades ago. For parents considering a move, housing costs in the area are below national and state benchmarks, and median household income is in line with national figures. The local unemployment rate is consistent with the national rate.
No recent district-level changes such as curriculum overhauls, referendums, or tax initiatives were found in publicly available sources. The district appears to operate without major recent shakeups, which may appeal to families seeking stability in a very rural setting.
This school fits a family looking for a deeply rural, small-town elementary experience with very small class sizes, a close community, and a heritage-focused environment. The academic results are mixed, with lower proficiency rates in the tested grades, so a parent concerned about academic benchmarks will want to discuss interventions and instructional approaches directly with the school. The peer group is homogeneous, and economic needs are present for a majority of families. For those who value a walkable, compact town with a strong Catholic church presence and French Canadian cultural identity, Damar is distinctive in northwest Kansas.
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