Meadowlark Ridge Elem, Salina KS

Original Research by School Decision on Meadowlark Ridge Elem

Meadowlark Ridge Elementary serves prekindergarten through fifth grade and is part of the Salina school district. It is a regular public school with no charter or magnet designation. The school is located on the north side of Salina, a mid-sized Kansas city that functions as a trade, transportation, and industrial center for the north-central part of the state. Salina sits at the intersection of two major interstates and has an economy anchored by manufacturing, health care, insurance, and higher education. The city’s population declined slightly between the last two census counts, and its built environment is auto-oriented, consistent with a plains highway crossroads. The district recently passed a bond issue, signaling investment in facilities or infrastructure.

The student body at Meadowlark Ridge is predominantly white, with a smaller Hispanic presence and smaller shares of students who identify as two or more races, Black, or Asian. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, meaning the school serves a moderate share of families with economic need. Special education and English learner counts were not available in the school’s data, so a parent may want to follow up directly with the school office on those programs.

Academically, Meadowlark Ridge stands out within its county. When compared to other districts in Saline County, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quarter. That is a clear strength. Looking at individual grade-level results on the Kansas state assessments, third-grade math proficiency was below half, while fourth-grade math reached a majority and fifth-grade math rose to roughly two-thirds. In English language arts, third-grade proficiency was around three-fifths, fourth grade neared three-quarters, and fifth grade dipped to about three-fifths. Fifth-grade science proficiency was near half. These results show a pattern in which fourth grade posted the strongest performance in both math and reading, while third-grade math stands out as an area that families should investigate further. The state switched to a new cut-score system for these assessments, making year-over-year trend comparisons uncertain, so one year of data is the available picture.

The school serves about the enrollment one would expect for an elementary that covers prekindergarten through fifth grade. Grade-level enrollments are fairly even, with a slightly larger third-grade class. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and that is consistent with its grade configuration. Details on discipline, staffing, chronic absenteeism, and course access were not present in the data. A parent looking into school climate or class sizes would want to ask the school for those local specifics.

Housing in the area is less expensive than the Kansas state benchmark, and rents are also below the state figure, reflecting a more affordable market relative to the rest of Kansas. The local unemployment rate was at the national average for the most recent period, and median household income for the country is in the low eighties, providing a broad economic backdrop. The school sits in a neighborhood that is a short drive from the interstate and from Salina’s industrial and commercial corridors.

For families considering Meadowlark Ridge, the academic picture is one of above-county-average performance, with a particular dip in third-grade math that bears watching. The school is a straightforward, non-specialized public elementary in a mid-sized city with a manufacturing and service economy. It is not a magnet school or a charter, so it draws from its attendance zone. The recent district bond suggests some level of capital improvement may be underway. A family moving into north Salina and looking for an elementary with a solid proficiency profile relative to its county peers would find this school worth a closer look.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 34% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 460%

School 60% · District 35% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 39% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 360%

School 60% · District 44% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 474%

School 74% · District 45% · ▲ 29 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 564%

School 64% · District 41% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Science

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 34% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

This schoolSalina, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income32%Higher-income87%55 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income58%Higher-income85%27 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income74%32 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income21%Higher-income73%52 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income42%Higher-income71%29 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income79%29 pp gap