Scott County

The schools in Scott County, Kansas serve a population facing significant economic challenges, with high free and reduced lunch rates across all three schools. While the district has one elementary, one middle, and two high schools, the data suggests the schools are struggling to keep up with their peers statewide, with declining rankings and uneven academic performance, particularly in the upper grades.

Scott City Middle School has seen a drop in its statewide ranking, from 137 out of 368 Kansas middle schools in 2021-2022 to 298 out of 362 in 2023-2024. The school performed better than the county and state averages in 3rd and 4th grade English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, but significantly underperformed in 6th-8th grade ELA and Mathematics. Scott City High School also saw a decline in its statewide ranking, from 188 out of 324 Kansas high schools in 2021-2022 to 170 out of 318 in 2023-2024, and performed below the county and state averages in 10th grade ELA and Mathematics.

Despite relatively low student-teacher ratios, the schools in Scott County face significant challenges. The high free and reduced lunch rates, ranging from 47.89% to 51.91% in 2022-2023, suggest the district serves a population with significant economic challenges, which may be impacting the schools' academic outcomes. Additionally, the disparities in spending per student, with Scott City High School spending $13,616 per student compared to $8,607 and $8,984 at the middle and elementary schools, respectively, indicate a potential focus on the upper grades that has not translated into better academic performance.