The top reported proficiency rate is 33% in English language arts. The lowest is 30% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Lowman Hill Elem
Lowman Hill Elementary is a public school in Topeka, Kansas, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of Topeka Public Schools, the district that oversees the city’s public schools. The school draws from a neighborhood in the state capital, a city anchored by government, agriculture, and manufacturing. The population of Topeka has held relatively steady in recent years, with a slight decline, and the area’s housing remains more affordable than typical for Kansas or the national market.
The student body at Lowman Hill is small for a K-5 school, and diverse. A little more than a third of students identify as Hispanic, a similar share as White, with Black students and students of two or more races each making up sizeable groups. Native American and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students are present in very small numbers. About nine out of ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that marks the school as serving a high-poverty community. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in state records.
State test results from the Kansas Assessment Program are available for the most recent school year. In mathematics, the share of students scoring proficient or above varied by grade, with the highest rate occurring in fifth grade and lower rates in third and fourth grades. In English language arts, fourth graders had the highest proficient rate among the tested grades, while third and fifth graders had lower ones. In science, assessed only at fifth grade, about three in ten students met the proficiency threshold. Across all subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quarter among Shawnee County’s school districts. The state changed its test scoring standards for math and ELA in this year, so the results cannot be directly compared with prior years. A parent considering the school would want to explore what academic supports are in place and how the school approaches instruction for students who are not yet at grade level. No information about course offerings, special programs, or extracurriculars was reported. The school does not have a magnet or charter designation.
The district, Topeka Public Schools, has seen its graduation rate improve over a multi-year span, according to publicly reported data, and it operates several magnet and signature programs at other schools—including a dual language magnet, a science and fine arts magnet, and themed campuses for music, performing arts, leadership, STEAM, and fine arts. These options mean that families in the district who are zoned for Lowman Hill may have the opportunity to apply to other schools, though the data does not indicate how many Lowman Hill families exercise that choice.
Given the very high poverty rate among the students, the school likely receives federal Title I funding and provides additional services such as free meals and targeted academic support, though Title I status was not confirmed in the available records. The school is a neighborhood elementary serving a community with lower home values and rents than much of the state. For a family living in the attendance area, Lowman Hill is the default assignment, but the district’s broader menu of specialized schools could be worth investigating if a family wants a different instructional focus.
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