The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in English language arts. The lowest is 48% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Guthridge School
Guthridge School serves fourth and fifth graders in Parsons, Kansas, as part of the Parsons public school district. It is one of several elementary schools in the district, taking students after they complete the primary grades at Lincoln Elementary and before they move on to Parsons Middle School. This narrow two-grade span means the building functions as an intermediate school, a bridge between the early elementary experience and the middle school setting. Because Guthridge does not serve tested grades beyond fifth, there is no graduation rate to report, and no high school metrics apply; the school’s academic picture is limited to state assessments in the grades it houses.
On the Kansas Assessment Program, Guthridge’s fourth graders posted a stronger result in English language arts, with more than six in ten students scoring at or above the proficiency threshold. Fifth graders in the same subject cleared that mark at a lower rate, with fewer than half reaching the proficient level. In math, fourth graders saw about half of students meet the proficiency bar, while fifth graders scored just below that. Fifth-grade science results mirrored the fifth-grade ELA figure, with a similar share of students scoring proficient. The school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile of districts in Labette County, meaning that relative to other local public school systems, Guthridge’s combined academic results run ahead of the median. Even so, a substantial share of students in both grades and subjects did not reach the proficient level, and a parent may want to discuss with the school how it supports students who are below that benchmark.
Enrollment is modest for a school serving two grades, with slightly more fifth graders than fourth graders. The student body is majority white, with a sizable cohort of Hispanic students, a smaller but still notable group of Black students, and a comparable share of students who identify as two or more races. A small number of American Indian or Alaska Native and Asian students round out the demographics. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a student population with high economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the profile, so a family seeking information on special education supports or language services would need to ask the school directly. No information was reported on discipline, course access, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism, either, leaving gaps in the portrait of the school’s daily environment.
The school is not a charter or magnet school. Its location on South 31st Street places it on the west side of Parsons. Parsons itself is a small city and the most populous in Labette County, with a historic downtown district that has received a national Main Street award for its preservation work. The city’s economy includes the Parsons State Hospital and Training Center, Labette County Medical Center, Labette Community College, and the Great Plains Industrial Park on the site of a former munitions plant. The city has seen job losses from the railroad industry and a major tornado in the past, but the district brief turned up no recent changes to district operations or policies that would directly affect a family’s decision today. Housing in the area is affordable relative to national benchmarks, though home values have dipped slightly in the most recent data.
For a parent trying to assess fit, Guthridge offers a compact intermediate environment where a student spends two years before moving to middle school. The academic picture is mixed: the school performs above the local county median overall, but a significant portion of students are not yet proficient in core subjects, particularly in fifth-grade math and ELA. The high poverty rate suggests the school may be addressing a range of needs that go beyond curriculum. A family would want to understand how the school uses its resources to move students toward proficiency, what interventions are in place for those who are behind, and how the transition from fourth to fifth grade is managed within this single building. Without data on special populations or classroom-level staffing, those are open questions best answered by a school visit or a conversation with the principal.
See more original research from School Decision →