The top reported proficiency rate is 21% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Anderson Elem
Anderson Elem serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the southern part of Wichita, within the Wichita Public Schools system. The school sits in a largely residential section of the city, an area shaped by Wichita’s broader industrial and aerospace economy. Wichita is Kansas’s largest city, with a working-class industrial base and a strong aviation manufacturing presence that anchors the local economy. The neighborhood around the school is part of a sprawling, car-dependent urban landscape, with limited walkability concentrated in a few downtown nodes far from this address.
The student body reflects the diversity of this part of Wichita. The largest share of students are Hispanic, followed by Black and White students, with smaller groups of Asian students, students of two or more races, and very small numbers of Native American and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. On the economic front, a very large share of the student population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, signaling a high-poverty school environment. No data was available for the share of students with individualized education plans or English learner classifications, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the level of special education and language support services available.
State testing results for the 2024-25 school year, from the Kansas Assessment Program (KAP), show that proficiency rates are low across all tested subjects and grade levels. In math, the share of students scoring at the proficient or advanced level was below a fifth of test-takers in every tested grade, with third grade showing the lowest figure. In English language arts, proficiency rates were somewhat higher than in math but still below a third of students in each grade. Fifth-grade science proficiency was also low. These results place Anderson Elem in the bottom quartile when compared with other elementary schools across Sedgwick County on an overall proficiency index. The state changed the cut scores for math and English language arts in recent years, which means these results are not directly comparable to earlier years; the school’s trend direction is not possible to determine from available data.
Because this is an elementary school that does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Similarly, no chronic absenteeism data was present in the sources reviewed, so it is not possible to say whether student attendance is a challenge or a strength at this school.
The housing market in the zip code where Anderson Elem is located is relatively affordable compared to both the state and national benchmarks. Home values are well below the Kansas median, and rents are modest as well. For families looking to buy or rent in this part of Wichita, the cost of housing is lower than in many other parts of the city and the wider region. The school’s attendance zone likely draws from the surrounding residential area, which consists of older single-family homes and some multifamily housing typical of an established urban neighborhood.
Wichita itself has experienced modest population growth in recent years, with most new development occurring in the suburbs that ring the city, such as Andover, Derby, and Maize. Within Wichita proper, downtown revitalization efforts have included park redesigns and new dining options, but the southern area where Anderson Elem sits has not been the primary focus of new development. The local economy remains tied to the cycles of the aerospace industry, which provides stable employment for many families but also brings periodic fluctuations.
For a parent considering Anderson Elem, the clear takeaway is that academic performance, as measured by state assessments, is well below average for the county. The student body is economically disadvantaged at a very high rate, and the school operates within a large urban district that serves a wide variety of neighborhoods. Support services for students learning English or those with special needs are not documented in the available data, so it would be worth exploring those directly with the school. The affordable housing in the area may be a draw, but the academic pathway at this school will require close attention and likely additional support outside of school for many students.
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