The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in Math. The lowest is 59% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Mccormick Elementary
McCormick Elementary is a small public school in Olsburg, Kansas, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. It is part of the Blue Valley USD 384 district, which covers a broad rural area in the northern Flint Hills region. The town itself is a close-knit community founded by Swedish and Norwegian immigrants, and it retains visible cultural markers like Dala Horse displays and a Barn Quilt Trail. Residents are car-dependent for most errands and commuting, and the local economy is built around educational services, transportation, and small retail businesses.
The school enrolls about one hundred and twenty-six students across pre-K through fourth grade. The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a very small number of Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. We looked for data on special education services and English learner populations, but those figures were not available.
State testing results show a mixed picture across grades and subjects. In third grade, math proficiency is strong: a large majority of students meet or exceed state standards. Third-grade English language arts proficiency is also solid, with a majority reaching that benchmark. Fifth-grade math, ELA, and science all show a solid majority proficient. However, fourth-grade proficiency in both math and ELA drops noticeably, with less than half of students scoring at the proficient level. This drop is noteworthy and may be something a parent wants to ask the school about directly. Because the school only runs through fourth grade, the fifth-grade results come from students who have moved on to a different building; how those results reflect on McCormick Elementary specifically is not entirely clear from the data alone.
Overall, when looking at all tested subjects and grades together, McCormick’s proficiency index ranks in the top quarter of schools in Pottawatomie County, which includes about five school districts. That is a strong relative position, but it is driven largely by the higher results in third and fifth grade, with the fourth-grade scores pulling the average down. No data on chronic absenteeism or discipline were available for this school.
Housing in the Olsburg area has seen notable appreciation. The estimated typical home value is above the statewide average, and the area has experienced recent growth: two residential additions have opened in recent years, and the population increased modestly. The closest larger city is Manhattan, about a twenty-minute drive south, and the school serves as a local anchor for families in and around Olsburg. The district itself did not report any recent major changes or initiatives, so the educational landscape here appears fairly stable.
For families considering McCormick Elementary, the school offers a small, rural setting with a strong sense of community and generally solid early-grade academic performance, with a notable soft spot in fourth grade that warrants further inquiry. The student population is not very diverse, and the housing market is active but not as expensive as the most competitive suburban areas. Parents who value a tight-knit environment and are comfortable with a longer commute to larger towns for services and high school options may find this school a good fit.
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