The top reported proficiency rate is 76% in English language arts. The lowest is 68% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Valley Heights Elem
Valley Heights Elementary is a small, rural public school that serves students in grades three through six. It is part of the Valley Heights school district, which also includes a junior-senior high school located on a shared campus roughly halfway between Blue Rapids and the neighboring town of Waterville. The elementary building itself is in Blue Rapids, a community anchored by a round town square, a historic public library, and the nearby Georgia-Pacific gypsum mine and mill, a major local employer. Blue Rapids has experienced long-term population decline, and the district’s enrollment reflects that rural scale; the elementary school is small, with a total number of students that is modest for a four-grade band. The student body is overwhelmingly white, consistent with the broader region’s demographics.
State assessment data from the Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) for the most recent school year provides a picture of academic performance that varies by grade and subject. In English language arts, proficiency rates are strong across grades three, four, and five, with a notably high share of students scoring at levels three or four. The sixth-grade ELA rate, while still a comfortable majority, is somewhat lower. In mathematics, the pattern is similar but generally lower than in ELA. Third and fifth graders post a solid majority proficient, and sixth graders perform even stronger in math than they do in reading. Fourth-grade math is the softest spot, falling below the other grade levels tested. In fifth-grade science, a clear majority of students met the state’s proficiency bar.
Because the school serves only upper elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, as that applies only to high schools. The school’s testing data carries a notable caveat: alongside the results for the current year, there is no prior comparable data due to a recent cut-score change, so it is not possible to gauge whether these proficiency levels represent improvement or decline from prior years. A parent may want to ask the school about longitudinal trends.
About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that reflects the economic realities of the surrounding area. Information on staffing, class sizes, course offerings, and discipline was not available in the provided data. Civil rights data, including special education and English learner counts, was also absent.
A bond measure approved by voters in 2022 is funding roof replacements, HVAC upgrades, and security improvements across all district buildings, including this elementary school. Those projects were reported to be underway. The district’s high school moved up a classification level for athletics and activities, a change beginning with the 2024-25 school year that affects the competitive context for students who will move on from Valley Heights Elementary.
Housing in the area is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks, and the typical home value in the Blue Rapids zip code sits well below the Kansas median. For a family considering this school, the primary considerations are the small, rural environment, the school’s solid but uneven proficiency rates, and the limited public data on student support services and school operations beyond test scores. The academics overall show strength, particularly in early-grade ELA and sixth-grade math, though the fourth-grade math result is a point where a family may want to follow up with the school for more context.
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