The top reported proficiency rate is 68% in English language arts. The lowest is 54% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Phillipsburg Elem
Phillipsburg Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade in the Phillipsburg school district, a small rural county seat in north-central Kansas. The town is compact and quiet, built around a courthouse square that hosts annual events like the Riverless Festival and Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo. Major employers include TAMKO Building Products, an ethanol plant, and the county government itself. The town has experienced a gradual population decline over several decades, and no significant new housing developments were publicly reported. The elementary school sits on a separate campus from the downtown square, a typical layout for small Kansas county seats.
The student body is small. Demographically, it is predominantly white, with a small number of Hispanic students and a modest share of students who identify as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school serves early elementary grades only, so there is no high school graduation rate to report, and no data on chronic absenteeism was available.
On state assessments, Phillipsburg Elementary posted results that place it in the top quartile among districts in Phillips County, a cohort of three districts. In third-grade math, roughly half of students scored proficient or above. In fourth-grade math, a higher share reached that threshold. In English language arts, more than two-thirds of third graders and a slightly higher proportion of fourth graders scored proficient or above. Across tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint of the county’s other districts. The state’s cut scores for the math and English language arts assessments changed in recent years, which means results are not directly comparable to earlier years, but the available data gives a current snapshot.
The parent district reported no recent changes of lasting impact, so the school’s program and approach appear stable. No data was available on the school’s course access, staffing ratios, or discipline rates. IEP and English learner counts were also missing from the records.
For families, Phillipsburg Elementary fits a context where the town is small and stable, housing is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks, and the school delivers above-county-average academic results in the early grades. The absence of information on special education staffing, English learner supports, and discipline patterns means a parent may want to look into this further with the school if those are priorities. The school’s grade band means students will move on to a separate building for upper elementary or middle school, which families new to the district may want to understand as part of their child’s full pathway.
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