The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in English language arts. The lowest is 39% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Price-harris Communications Magnet
Price-Harris Communications Magnet serves prekindergarten through fifth grade in Wichita, operating as a magnet school within the Wichita public school district. The school draws a student body that is racially and economically diverse. The largest share of students are white, followed by roughly equal proportions of Hispanic and Black students, with a smaller number of students who identify as two or more races or as Asian. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a higher-poverty context than many elementary buildings in the district.
English language arts is the strongest area on state testing when compared to the school’s own performance in other subjects. At each tested grade level, roughly half of students scored proficient or above on the Kansas Assessment Program. Math results were lower, with proficiency rates declining slightly from third to fifth grade. Science results at fifth grade, the only tested science grade, were near the same level as math. Overall, Price-Harris sits just below the midpoint among districts in Sedgwick County on a combined proficiency index, a position that reflects a school with solid fundamentals in reading but with math and science achievement that a parent may want to discuss further with the school to understand the instructional approach and any supports in place.
As a magnet school with a communications theme, a family choosing Price-Harris is opting into a focused programmatic identity rather than a general neighborhood assignment. The school’s name signals an emphasis on communication skills, which could mean additional exposure to language, media, or presentation work woven into the elementary curriculum. The available data does not include details on how the magnet theme operates day to day, nor does it show staffing ratios, course access, or discipline statistics, so a parent considering this school would want to ask the school directly about how the communications focus is implemented and what enrichment or specials are available.
Wichita itself provides the broader context for this school. As Kansas’s largest city, its economy is heavily shaped by aerospace manufacturing, with companies like Spirit AeroSystems, Textron Aviation, and Bombardier Learjet anchoring the employment base. McConnell Air Force Base and Wichita State University are also major employers. The city is largely car-dependent, with walkable street life concentrated in the Old Town district and downtown corridor. Residential neighborhoods stretch across a wide area, and some families who work in Wichita choose to live in surrounding communities like Andover, Derby, or Maize, but the school’s attendance zone and magnet application process would determine access for families inside the city limits.
The district, Wichita Public Schools, serves a large, urban population, and school-level data for Price-Harris does not include recent district-wide changes, bond measures, or strategic plan updates. A parent may want to check with the district for any upcoming boundary adjustments, program expansions, or facility plans that could affect this school.
The housing market in the zip code area around the school shows home values and rents that are above the Kansas state median, though still below the national median, which reflects the school’s location in an established east-side Wichita neighborhood. The typical mortgage payment on a median-priced home would be somewhat higher than the typical rent, a dynamic common across many markets.
A parent considering Price-Harris will find a mid-sized elementary magnet with a specific thematic identity, serving a diverse and predominantly low-income student body. Academic results are strongest in reading, while math and science proficiency lag. The school is part of a large urban district and sits in a city with a strong industrial base and modest population growth. Families should investigate how the communications magnet works in practice and what supports are available for students who are not yet meeting benchmarks in math and science.
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