The top reported proficiency rate is 20% in English language arts. The lowest is 7% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Spaght Multimedia Magnet
Spaght Multimedia Magnet is an elementary school in Wichita serving prekindergarten through fifth grade. It operates as a magnet school within the Wichita public school system, which is Kansas’s largest district. The school sits in the eastern part of the city, near downtown Wichita and the Arkansas River corridor. The surrounding neighborhood is mature and densely built, with a mix of older single-family homes and apartment buildings. Housing values in the area are well below the Kansas median, making this one of the more affordable pockets of the city. Rents follow a similar pattern. The local economy has deep roots in aerospace manufacturing, though that industry’s cycles can affect job stability.
The student body is diverse, with a majority of students identifying as Hispanic and a substantial share as Black, along with smaller groups who are White or multiracial. A very high share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a predominantly low-income community. The enrollment is moderate in size for a PK–5 building, with roughly similar numbers of students at each grade level from kindergarten through fifth grade. Enrollment in prekindergarten is noticeably smaller, which is typical for that grade band.
State testing results from the Kansas Assessment Program cover math, English language arts, and science for grades three through five. Across every subject and grade, the share of students scoring at the proficient level or above is low. In math, the percentage of students meeting the state standard is in the single digits in all three tested grades. In English language arts, the figures are higher but still well below half, ranging from the mid-teens to the high twenties depending on the grade. Fifth-grade science proficiency is also modest. When compared with other schools in Sedgwick County, Spaght Multimedia Magnet’s overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile. This is a consistent pattern that a parent or guardian may want to discuss with the school to understand what academic supports and interventions are in place, especially given that the school serves only elementary grades and early foundational skills are critical.
Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Similarly, data on chronic absenteeism, special education enrollment, English learner status, and discipline were not available in the information reviewed. The school’s magnet theme is stated in its name, but no detailed program description was provided, so the specific focus of the multimedia curriculum remains unclear from this data.
The community around Spaght Magnet is part of east-central Wichita, a neighborhood that reflects the city’s industrial character. Homes are affordable compared with most of the state, and the area is served by city bus routes, though daily life for most residents depends on a car. Downtown Wichita’s Old Town district, with its restaurants and entertainment, is a short drive away. The school itself sits on a campus in a residential block.
For a family considering this school, the picture is straightforward. Spaght Multimedia Magnet is a neighborhood magnet school in a large urban district, serving a high-poverty student population with low state test scores relative to the county. The affordable housing and the school’s magnet designation may be draws, but the academic performance data suggests a school where many students are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks. A parent would likely want to visit, ask about reading and math intervention programs, and understand how the multimedia theme is integrated into daily instruction.
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