The top reported proficiency rate is 25% in English language arts. The lowest is 9% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Beech Elem
Beech Elem is a public elementary school in Wichita, Kansas, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of Wichita Public Schools, the state's largest district, and sits in a residential area of the city's east side. The school enrolls a mid-sized student body for its grade band, with enrollment distributed fairly evenly across kindergarten through fifth grade and a notable pre-K presence.
The student population is diverse. Children who identify as Black form the largest single group, followed by Hispanic students, then white students. Asian students, students of two or more races, and a small number of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and American Indian or Alaska Native students make up the remainder. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of many families in the attendance zone. Data on the number of students with Individualized Education Programs or who are English learners was not available; a parent would want to ask the school directly about special education staffing and English language support.
State test results from the Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) are available for the most recent school year. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above was in the single digits in third grade and fourth grade, and just above that in fifth grade. In English language arts, proficiency rates were roughly one-quarter of tested students in third grade, just under one-third in fourth grade, and roughly one-fifth in fifth grade. Science, which is assessed only in fifth grade, showed a proficiency rate in the low teens. Kansas changed the cut scores for these assessments in the same year, meaning the results cannot be directly compared to prior years, so it is not possible to say whether performance is trending up or down.
When placed alongside other districts in Sedgwick County, Beech Elem’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades falls in the bottom quartile of the comparison group. The school’s academic profile is a soft spot, and a parent considering the school may want to inquire about specific instructional supports, intervention programs, or recent efforts to raise achievement.
Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism and discipline were not available in the source material. A parent looking into the school’s climate would want to ask for those figures directly from the school or district.
The housing market in the school’s zip code shows home values that are broadly in line with the Kansas state average and below the national median. Rent prices have been rising at a modest pace. The economic context nationally includes a stable unemployment rate and a recent 30-year fixed mortgage rate that has fluctuated in a moderate range. For a family moving into the area, the affordability picture is one of typical midwestern costs, with homebuying and renting both plausible depending on income.
Beech Elem sits within the city of Wichita, Kansas’s largest city, known historically as the Air Capital of the World for its aerospace manufacturing. Major employers include Spirit AeroSystems, Textron Aviation, Bombardier Learjet, and Airbus, along with McConnell Air Force Base and Wichita State University. The city has a working-class industrial base, a historic downtown core with Old Town entertainment district, and a largely car-dependent layout. The school’s east-side location places it in a residential neighborhood that reflects Wichita’s sprawling, auto-oriented pattern. The district has not made widely reported recent changes, and we looked for strategic priorities or major shifts but found little publicly, so we left that out rather than guess.
In summary, Beech Elem is an elementary school with a high-poverty, diverse student body in a large city district. State test scores are well below county averages, and the school ranks in the bottom tier of Sedgwick County districts on overall proficiency. A family focused on academic outcomes would want to dig deeper into the school’s curriculum and support structures. For families who value a neighborhood school within Wichita’s east side, the school offers a community setting and pre-K access, but the academic challenges are real and should be investigated firsthand.
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