The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in English language arts. The lowest is 27% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on South Haven Elem
South Haven Elem is a small public elementary school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the rural community of South Haven, Kansas. The school enrolls roughly a hundred students, the vast majority of whom are white, with a small Hispanic population and an even smaller Asian contingent. About two out of every five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, giving the school a moderate level of economic diversity. Because it serves only early grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and the state testing data covers grades three through five in math, English language arts, and science.
The town of South Haven is a very small highway crossroads community in Sumner County, at the intersection of several U.S. routes. Its population has been gradually declining over the past decade and a half, and the built environment is typical of a small Kansas rural settlement: residential homes and some small businesses along main roads. The housing market reflects that rural setting. Home values in the area are well below the state median and even further below the national median, making this one of the more affordable places a family might consider. The school district, South Haven USD 509, has no recent publicly reported changes that would affect parents, and the town itself shows little new development activity.
Academically, the picture is layered. On the state assessments, third graders performed solidly in both reading and math, with a majority reaching proficiency in each. For fourth graders, reading proficiency was still at a level many parents would find acceptable, but math proficiency was lower, with only a modest share of students meeting the bar. Fifth graders, tested in science, showed a proficiency rate that was below half. Looked at as a whole, however, the school’s combined proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades lands above the midpoint relative to other districts in Sumner County. That means that when compared with its immediate rural neighbors, South Haven Elem is holding its own academically, even if particular grade-level results vary. A parent may want to ask the school about the dip in fourth-grade math and how instruction is differentiated across grade levels.
The peer environment is shaped by the school’s very small size. Class sizes are likely small, which can allow for more individual attention, but also means that a single cohort’s performance can swing noticeably from year to year. The student body is not highly diverse, and data on students with disabilities or English learners was not available. The school is not a charter or magnet, and its Title I status was not reported.
For a family considering South Haven Elem, the main draw would be a quiet rural setting with affordable housing and a school that, while small, performs comparably to its county peers. The town’s population decline and limited civic amenities mean this is not a growth area, but for families seeking a low-cost, low-key elementary experience in a tight-knit community, it fits. The variation in test results across grades is something to explore directly with the school, but the overall proficiency picture is not out of step with the surrounding district set.
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