Sharon Springs Elem, Sharon Springs KS

Original Research by School Decision on Sharon Springs Elem

Sharon Springs Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in the very small rural county seat of Sharon Springs, Kansas. The school is part of Wallace County Schools, a consolidated district covering a sparsely populated agricultural region in the western part of the state. With a small student body that is predominantly white and a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, this is a close-knit school where most families share a similar economic background.

State testing results offer a mixed picture. In reading, third and sixth graders showed a strong share of students meeting proficiency standards, while fourth graders and eighth graders had softer results. Math proficiency also varied by grade, with sixth graders performing well but eighth graders falling to a lower level. Eighth-grade science results were notably strong. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages these results across tested subjects and grades, placed it at the top among Wallace County’s two districts. Parents looking at the data may want to ask the school how it supports students in the middle grades, where some of the weaker figures appear.

Because the school only goes through eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, and course access were not available in the sources reviewed. The school’s website and district office would be the best place to follow up on those topics.

The community context is one of long-term population decline. Sharon Springs has seen its population shrink over recent decades, and the town’s economy is anchored by agriculture, local government, and small retail. Housing is affordable compared to national and state benchmarks, which may appeal to families looking for lower costs in a quiet rural setting. The built environment is sparse and low-density, typical of a Great Plains county seat, with civic life centered on Main Street and the county courthouse. A high-end tornado caused severe damage to the town in 2022, and a large sinkhole opened north of town in a previous year, but the district’s brief turned up no lasting parent-relevant changes from the last several years.

This is a school for families who want a small, rural elementary experience with a consistent peer group and a district that performs well on state tests relative to its immediate neighbors. The academic results are uneven enough that a parent may wish to talk with the principal about how the school addresses the drop-off seen in eighth grade. For those comfortable with a declining small town and a straightforward K-8 pathway, it offers a clear local option.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 2 pts above state median

Grade 660%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 19 pts above state median

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 36%

▲ 2 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 370%

School 70% · District 70%

▲ 17 pts above state median

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 2 pts above state median

Grade 660%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 18 pts above state median

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 36%

▼ 1 pts below state median

Science

Grade 873%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 36 pts above state median

This schoolWallace County Schools, 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.