Best Public Schools in Hays, KS

Summary:

The city of Hays, Kansas is home to 7 schools that serve students from elementary through high school, all part of the Hays school district. The district is ranked 43 out of 266 districts in Kansas and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. Several schools in the district stand out as top performers, including Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Elementary, which is ranked 18th out of 653 elementary schools in the state and has a 5-star rating, and Woodrow Wilson Elementary, ranked 132nd and with a 4-star rating.

The schools in Hays generally perform above the state average in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science, with Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy and Woodrow Wilson having particularly high proficiency rates. The district's high school is also a standout, ranked 74th out of 318 high schools in Kansas and maintaining a 4-star rating. While the schools have similar per-student spending, around $12,300-$12,340, the free/reduced lunch rates vary, from 1.96% at Hays Virtual School to 48.94% at Lincoln Elementary.

Overall, the Hays school district appears to be performing well, with several standout schools and generally strong academic outcomes across the district. The variation in elementary school performance and the unique nature of the virtual school provide interesting areas for further exploration and analysis.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				KAP English Language Arts (2024)								KAP Mathematics (2024)								KAP Science (2024)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	KAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	KAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	KAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	KAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	KAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	KAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	KAP English Language Arts 10th Grade	KAP English Language Arts All Grades	KAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	KAP Mathematics 4th Grade	KAP Mathematics 5th Grade	KAP Mathematics 6th Grade	KAP Mathematics 7th Grade	KAP Mathematics 8th Grade	KAP Mathematics 10th Grade	KAP Mathematics All Grades	KAP Science 5th Grade	KAP Science 8th Grade	KAP Science 11th Grade	KAP Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lincoln Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1906 Ash	Hays	67601	Ellis County	Hays	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 623-2500	257	18	14.3	64.6%	182 (70.8%)	4 (1.6%)	56 (21.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.4%)	45.8	366^th of 653 public elementary schools	44.0%		37.4	426^th of 660 public elementary schools	35.5%	60	41.5	43.5	41.9					42.1	41.5	21.7	19.4					29.5	54.8			54.8	$12,341	$1,699	$10,641
Woodrow Wilson Elementary	Public	K-5	101 E 28th	Hays	67601	Ellis County	Hays	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 623-2550	369	26	14.1	37.9%	308 (83.5%)	7 (1.9%)	37 (10.0%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.8%)	73.2	132^nd of 653 public elementary schools	79.8%		84.8	75^th of 660 public elementary schools	88.6%	57	58.6	60.3	48.5					55.9	69.0	54.4	39.4					54.6	39.4			39.4	$12,331	$1,698	$10,633
Hays Middle School	Public	6-8	201 W. 29th	Hays	67601	Ellis County	Hays	No	No	No	No	(785) 623-2450	731	45	16.4	44.3%	572 (78.2%)	10 (1.4%)	99 (13.5%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (5.9%)	53.3	133^rd of 362 public middle schools	63.3%		59.3	109^th of 362 public middle schools	69.9%	24				38.2	37.9	30.8		35.8				25.9	27.0	17.4		23.6		22.7		22.7	$12,336	$1,699	$10,637
Hays High	Public	9-12	2300 E 13th	Hays	67601	Ellis County	Hays	No	No	No	No	(785) 623-2600	1,013	52	19.4	40.9%	809 (79.9%)	15 (1.5%)	130 (12.8%)	9 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (4.8%)	69	74^th of 318 public high schools	76.7%		76.6	52^nd of 327 public high schools	84.1%	22							32.4	32.4							24.6	24.6			39.4	39.4	$12,333	$1,698	$10,635
Roosevelt Elementary	Public	K-5	2000 MacArthur	Hays	67601	Ellis County	Hays	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 623-2520	395	29	13.3	38.2%	326 (82.5%)	7 (1.8%)	39 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.6%)	62.2	220^th of 653 public elementary schools	66.3%		61.2	217^th of 660 public elementary schools	67.1%	3	54.9	35.7	43.1					44.8	66.2	32.9	43.1					48.2	51.0			51.0	$12,315	$1,699	$10,617
Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Elementary	Public	K-5	1401 Hall	Hays	67601	Ellis County	Hays	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 623-2510	396	26	15.2	41.2%	309 (78.0%)	9 (2.3%)	41 (10.4%)	19 (4.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.3%)	93.3	18^th of 653 public elementary schools	97.2%		94.2	19^th of 660 public elementary schools	97.1%	1	62.3	72.6	60.0					64.7	76.8	65.1	62.9					68.3	81.4			81.4	$12,339	$1,699	$10,640
Hays Virtual School	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	201 E 7th St	Hays	67601	Ellis County	Hays	No	No	Yes	No	(785) 623-2400	250				229 (91.6%)	3 (1.2%)	10 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.4%)								(n/a)

Cities Near Hays

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Ellis	11.08 mi	2	66^th
Victoria	14.19 mi	2	219^th
La Crosse	20.84 mi	3	217^th
Otis	27.32 mi	3	196^th
WaKeeney	28.75 mi	2	269^th

See the top KS Kansas cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Kansas State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.

Best Public Schools in Hays, KS

Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Elementary

Woodrow Wilson Elementary

Hays High

Roosevelt Elementary

Hays Middle School

Lincoln Elementary

Hays Virtual School

Cities Near Hays