Burns Elementary, Burns WY - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Burns Elementary

Burns Elementary sits in a very small rural town in Laramie County, about a short drive east of Cheyenne. Publicly reported sources describe Burns as a railroad-origin community of just four blocks, with Main Street as its only paved road. The town has seen slow but steady growth over recent decades and belongs to the Cheyenne metropolitan area, though it retains a distinctly rural character. Employment is distributed across educational services, health care, and retail, with no single dominant employer. A branch library serves as a civic anchor alongside the schools. Burns Elementary is part of Laramie County School District #2, which also operates Burns Junior/Senior High School for older students in town.

The school serves pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. It is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet. The student body is modest in size for its grade band, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is predominantly white, with a smaller Hispanic presence and a very small number of students identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native or as two or more races. Data on individualized education programs and English learner status was not available, so families wanting to understand special populations support would need to ask the school directly.

On state assessments, Burns Elementary's results tell a mixed but generally encouraging story. The school uses Wyoming's WY-TOPP assessment, and participation was full across every tested grade. Mathematics proficiency is strongest in the upper grades, with sixth grade standing out as particularly high and fourth grade also solid. Third grade lands in a middling range, and fifth grade is the weakest math result. English language arts follows a similar pattern: sixth grade is the clear standout, while fifth grade again sits lowest. Fourth grade science proficiency is available and sits below the middle of the range. The overall proficiency picture, when compared relative to districts in Laramie County, places Burns Elementary in the top quartile, which is a genuine strength given the school's small size and rural setting. That said, the dip in fifth grade across both math and reading is something a parent may want to look into further with the school, especially since no multi-year trend data was available to show whether this is a recurring pattern or a single-year fluctuation.

Because Burns Elementary does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and the absence of that metric reflects the school's grade band rather than any gap in performance. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available.

The district operates on a four-day school week, Monday through Thursday, with Friday hours reserved for students who need additional help or extended learning opportunities. This schedule directly shapes family routines, childcare arrangements, and the weekly academic rhythm. Parents considering Burns Elementary should factor this structure into their planning, especially if Friday coverage is a concern.

Housing in the Burns area carries a typical home value above both state and national benchmarks, and the local market has seen recent year-over-year appreciation. Rental data was not available for this location. The price-to-income ratio suggests that buying a home here is somewhat less affordable than the national picture, which is worth weighing for families relocating to the area. The broader economic context features a national unemployment rate that has held steady, and median household income has been on an upward trajectory in recent years.

What Burns Elementary offers is a small, rural, community-rooted school with solid academic results in its strongest grades and a district schedule that builds in dedicated intervention time. The tradeoffs are the town's remoteness, limited commercial activity, and the data gaps around special populations and absenteeism. For families who value a close-knit setting and are comfortable with a four-day week, it is a place worth understanding in detail.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 70% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 461%

School 61% · District 57% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 52% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 690%

School 90% · District 76% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 64% · ▼ 12 pts below district

even with state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 53% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 46% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 673%

School 73% · District 69% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Science

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 51% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

This schoolLaramie County School District #2, 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 3Lower-income50%Higher-income55%5 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income21%Higher-income58%37 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income13%Higher-income56%42 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income62%Higher-income78%16 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income36%Higher-income70%34 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income75%39 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income20%Higher-income67%47 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income85%Higher-income93%8 pp gap