The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in English language arts. The lowest is 15% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Jefferson Elem
Jefferson Elementary is a public school in Wichita offering pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It operates as part of the larger Wichita school district, which serves the state’s largest city. The school’s enrollment is a mix of backgrounds, with a substantial majority of students from households that qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The student body has a pronounced Hispanic and Black plurality, with a sizeable White minority and a notable Asian share, reflecting the diversity of its east Wichita neighborhood. Wichita itself is the industrial and commercial hub of Kansas, built around aerospace manufacturing, and the city’s character as a working-class, car-dependent city with pockets of downtown vitality shapes the context families encounter when they consider this school.
The most concrete evidence of academic performance at Jefferson comes from the Kansas Assessment Program for the most recent school year. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above declined slightly across grades three through five, with the highest rate in third grade. In math, results were markedly lower and also declined as students aged, and the fifth-grade science proficiency rate was in a similar low range. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index fell well below the typical level among Sedgwick County elementary schools, landing in the lowest quarter of the county’s districts. This pattern suggests that a large majority of students are not meeting grade-level benchmarks, and a parent may want to explore what academic interventions or support systems the school offers.
Because Jefferson serves only elementary grades, there is no high school graduation rate to report, and no data on chronic absenteeism or discipline was provided. The absence of chronic absenteeism data is a gap; for a school serving young children, a parent may wish to ask the school directly about attendance patterns and how it supports consistent student presence.
The school is located in a racially and economically diverse pocket of Wichita. Home values in the surrounding zip code are significantly below the statewide average, making this one of the more affordable corners of the city to buy a home. Rent is also below the national typical level, so the area is relatively accessible for renting families. The broader Wichita housing market has seen modest price appreciation, and the local economy, anchored by large aerospace employers and a major university, has experienced steady if unremarkable growth in recent years.
For a family weighing Jefferson, the picture is straightforward. The school serves a high-poverty population with strong cultural and linguistic diversity, and its state test results show that most students are not reaching proficient levels in reading, math, or science. A parent considering this school should ask directly about the school’s strategies for raising achievement, the availability of targeted support for students who are behind, and how the school engages families in a community with high economic need. The data available does not speak to the quality of teaching, the school climate, or enrichment offerings, so those would be important points to investigate through a visit or conversation with the principal.
See more original research from School Decision →