The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in English language arts. The lowest is 23% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Highland Park Central
Highland Park Central is an elementary school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Topeka, Kansas, within the Topeka Public Schools district. The school is located in the southeast part of the city. Topeka itself is the state capital, with an economy built around government services, manufacturing, and agriculture. Its civic anchors include the Kansas State Capitol, Gage Park, and the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. The city has seen a modest population decline in recent years, a context that shapes the local housing market. Home values in the area sit well below the state benchmark, and rents are relatively affordable compared to national averages, making this a lower-cost part of the city to live in.
The student body is diverse. Hispanic students make up the largest share, followed by White and Black students, with a notable portion of students identifying as two or more races. A very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need in the school community. The school is not a charter school.
On state assessments administered through the Kansas Assessment Program, proficiency rates were below the midpoint among districts in Shawnee County, placing the school in the bottom quartile on a combined proficiency index. In third grade, roughly one in three students scored proficient or above in English language arts, while in fourth and fifth grades that figure dropped to about one in four. In math, third-grade proficiency was around one in three, but it fell to between one in six and one in five for fourth and fifth graders. In fifth-grade science, about one in four students met the proficiency bar. These results are from a single year, and the state changed its cut scores for both math and English language arts in that period, so comparisons to prior years may not be straightforward. A parent looking at these numbers should be aware that the school serves a high-poverty population, and these results reflect that context, but the performance is clearly a soft spot.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism, special education identification, and English learner services were not available in the data provided. A parent would want to ask the school directly about how it supports students with disabilities and those learning English.
The district offers families some choices beyond their neighborhood school, including magnet programs and signature campuses focused on dual language, science and fine arts, music, performing arts, leadership, STEAM, and fine arts. That means that for families who live in the Highland Park Central attendance zone, there may be other elementary options within the district worth exploring. The district has also seen a reported multi-year improvement in its high school graduation rate, a positive signal for families planning a long-term path through Topeka Public Schools.
Highland Park Central is a high-poverty elementary school where academic proficiency rates, particularly in math, are below county averages. It sits in an affordable part of Topeka. For a family, the question is whether the school's supports and community fit a child's needs, and whether the broader district's magnet and signature programs offer a pathway that addresses the academic gaps visible in the testing data.
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