The top reported proficiency rate is 21% in English language arts. The lowest is 9% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Colvin Elem
Colvin Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in south Wichita, as part of the Wichita public school district. The school is located on South Roosevelt, in a residential area of the city. Wichita itself is Kansas’s largest city, a place whose identity is deeply tied to aircraft manufacturing, with major employers like Spirit AeroSystems, Textron Aviation, and Airbus earning it the nickname “Air Capital of the World.” The city is largely car-dependent, with walkable street life concentrated in the Old Town district downtown, while most neighborhoods, including the area around Colvin, are built around automobile travel. The school sits within a city that has seen modest population growth in recent years, with development activity focused on downtown revitalization and suburban growth in surrounding communities.
Colvin Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The student body is diverse, with the largest group identifying as Hispanic, followed by Black, White, Asian, and students of two or more races. A very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need across the school community. Data on the share of students with individualized education programs or who are English learners was not available.
On the Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) tests, Colvin’s proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science were low across all tested grades. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above was in the single digits for third, fourth, and fifth grades. In English language arts, the rates were higher but still low, with roughly a fifth of third and fourth graders and about a quarter of fifth graders reaching the proficient mark. In fifth-grade science, the proficiency rate was also low. When compared with other elementary schools across Sedgwick County, Colvin’s overall proficiency index placed in the bottom quartile. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what academic supports and interventions are in place.
The school serves a student population that is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of Black, White, Asian, and multiracial students. The enrollment is large for an elementary school, with classes from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The school is not a charter or magnet school. Data on the share of students with disabilities and English learners was not available, nor was information on chronic absenteeism or discipline rates. Because Colvin serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report.
Housing in the area around the school is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks, with home values that have seen modest year-over-year growth. The typical home in the zip code is valued below the state average, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment is below the national median rent, suggesting that homeownership may be more attainable here than in many parts of the country. The national unemployment rate has been stable, and mortgage rates have been in a typical range.
Colvin is part of the Wichita public school district, which is the largest in Kansas. The district’s facilities are distributed across the city’s neighborhoods, following the city’s sprawling residential pattern. The school itself sits in a south Wichita neighborhood, in a part of the city that is primarily residential and car-dependent, with limited walkable street life. For families considering this school, the academic performance data is a central consideration, and the school’s proficiency rates are well below the midpoint of districts in Sedgwick County. The school’s economic context, with a high share of students qualifying for meal assistance, is a factor that may shape the resources and supports available. A parent may want to ask about specific academic intervention programs, class sizes, and how the school supports students who are behind grade level.
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