Mayberry Cultural and Fine Arts Magnet Middle, Wichita KS

Original Research by School Decision on Mayberry Cultural and Fine Arts Magnet Middle

Mayberry Cultural and Fine Arts Magnet Middle is a magnet school in Wichita, Kansas, serving grades six through eight. Its name points to a curriculum themed around cultural and fine arts, though detailed information about the magnet program itself was not available in the data. The school is part of the Wichita district, the largest in Kansas.

Wichita is an industrial city with an economy anchored by aircraft manufacturing. The city is car-dependent and spread over a large area, with walkable nodes downtown and in the Old Town district. Population growth has been modest. Housing values in the area are below national and state benchmarks, and rents are moderate relative to median incomes. This economic context means that many families in the school’s attendance zone face affordability constraints.

The student body numbers a few hundred, spread roughly evenly across the three middle grades. The racial and ethnic composition is predominantly Hispanic and White, with smaller shares of Black, multiracial, Asian, and Native American students. A large majority of students come from low-income households, as measured by free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported; a parent may want to ask the school about those figures directly.

On state assessments, the school’s results fall well below the midpoint. In every tested grade and subject, the share of students scoring proficient or advanced is low. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quarter relative to districts in Sedgwick County. This is a clear signal that many students are performing below grade-level expectations. The school does not serve high school grades, so no graduation rate applies.

Because the available data lacks detail on course access, staffing, discipline, and attendance, a parent considering this school would want to explore those areas with the school. The magnet theme implies extracurricular or elective offerings in the arts, but no specific program descriptions were provided. The district brief did not return any recent changes or initiatives.

For a family weighing this school, the core picture is a magnet middle school with a stated arts focus serving a high-poverty student population in a large, economically diverse city. The academic results are weak, which may reflect the challenges of the student community. A parent who values the arts theme and is prepared to seek supplemental academic support might find this a reasonable fit, but the low proficiency rates warrant a close conversation with the school about instructional supports, the magnet offerings, and how the school addresses gaps in learning.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 619%

School 19% · District 18% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 716%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 817%

School 17% · District 21% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 24% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 728%

School 28% · District 25% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 27% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Science

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 23% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

This schoolWichita, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income30%Higher-income60%30 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income22%Higher-income46%24 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income24%Higher-income44%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income13%Higher-income43%30 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income12%Higher-income28%16 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income14%Higher-income31%17 pp gap