Sunflower Elementary

Q: Is Sunflower Elementary a good school?

Sunflower Elementary ranks 347 th of 653 Kansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Sunflower Elementary is a public elementary school located in Gardner, Kansas, serving grades PK-4 with a total enrollment of 345 students. The school is part of the Gardner Edgerton school district, which is ranked 88 out of 266 districts in Kansas and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Sunflower Elementary consistently outperforms the Gardner Edgerton district and the state of Kansas in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency across all grades. However, the school's statewide ranking has declined from a high of 3rd out of 668 Kansas elementary schools in 2012-2013 to its current ranking of 347 out of 653 in 2023-2024, and its SchoolDigger star rating has also decreased from 4 stars to 2 stars during this time period. The school's performance for white students and students with low socioeconomic status has declined, ranking in the bottom half of Kansas elementary schools in these subgroups.

Sunflower Elementary performs well compared to other schools in the Gardner Edgerton district, particularly in terms of test scores, but it lags behind some of the higher-performing schools in the district, such as Edgerton Elementary and Nike Elementary. The school also performs better than the nearby Moonlight Elementary School, which has consistently lower test scores and a higher percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-4

775 North Center
Gardner, KS 66030

(913) 856-3700

District: Gardner Edgerton

SchoolDigger Rank:
347^th of 653 Kansas Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,635

Students who attend Sunflower Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Wheatridge Middle School
High:	Gardner Edgerton High

Student/teacher ratio: 12.2

Number of students: 311

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.6%

Two or more races:

9.3%

Hispanic:

9.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 30.2%

See top rated Kansas elementary schools

Compare Sunflower Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Sunflower Elementary ranks worse than 53.1% of elementary schools in Kansas. It also ranks 6^th among 7 ranked elementary schools in the Gardner Edgerton School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 48.13. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (74.6%), two or more races (9.3%), Hispanic (9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 30.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Gardner Edgerton School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sunflower Elementary is 12.2. 4 elementary schools in the Gardner Edgerton School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Sunflower Elementary employs 25.3 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sunflower Elementary is $10,635. 5 elementary schools in the Gardner Edgerton School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sunflower Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Sunflower Elementary 347^th of 653 Kansas public elementary schools. (See Sunflower Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

White students:

Gardner Edgerton:

SchoolDigger ranks Gardner Edgerton 88^th of 266 Kansas school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Sunflower Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Sunflower Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	KS State Percentile
2006	79.76	65^th	585	88.9%
2007	81.15	46^th	600	92.3%
2008	80.34	60^th	614	90.2%
2009	77.19	78^th	621	87.4%
2010	83.84	19^th	630	97.0%
2011	82.80	17^th	631	97.3%
2012	78.62	42^nd	660	93.6%
2013	85.79	3^rd	668	99.6%
2015	80.10	92^nd	678	86.4%
2016	80.95	99^th	656	84.9%
2017	70.32	151^st	659	77.1%
2018	80.51	98^th	656	85.1%
2019	80.23	90^th	667	86.5%
2021	78.09	108^th	670	83.9%
2022	63.73	211^th	668	68.4%
2023	44.48	375^th	660	43.2%
2024	48.13	347^th	653	46.9%

See the entire list of Kansas Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Sunflower Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	KS State Percentile
2022	36.68	200^th	305	34.4%
2023	53.27	127^th	296	57.1%
2024	60.80	94^th	306	69.3%

See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sunflower Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	KS State Percentile
2018	81.19	37^th	512	92.8%
2021	78.22	42^nd	494	91.5%
2022	33.91	381^st	512	25.6%
2023	36.82	367^th	541	32.2%
2024	64.79	152^nd	546	72.2%

See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Sunflower Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	KS State Percentile
2018	80.68	82^nd	574	85.7%
2019	74.69	117^th	591	80.2%
2021	79.72	87^th	591	85.3%

See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Sunflower Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	KS State Percentile
2018	76.90	105^th	575	81.7%
2019	85.08	61^st	586	89.6%
2021	74.40	121^st	605	80.0%

See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Sunflower Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	KS State Percentile
2018	75.24	116^th	574	79.8%
2019	76.30	98^th	592	83.4%
2021	67.84	153^rd	587	73.9%
2022	53.67	266^th	596	55.4%
2023	36.40	397^th	584	32.0%
2024	34.43	417^th	579	28.0%

See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Kansas State Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Kansas State Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Sunflower Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1997	399	4	10	3	1	n/a	n/a	0	417
1998	422	5	11	10	4	n/a	n/a	0	452
1999	429	9	10	11	3	n/a	n/a	0	462
2000	463	10	8	14	4	n/a	n/a	0	499
2001	419	9	10	10	3	n/a	n/a	0	451
2002	400	8	13	9	4	n/a	n/a	0	434
2003	400	8	13	9	4	n/a	n/a	0	434
2004	389	1	4	15	4	n/a	n/a	11	424
2005	408	3	4	18	4	n/a	n/a	7	444
2006	318	2	2	4	0	n/a	n/a	8	334
2007	358	5	4	9	0	n/a	n/a	12	388
2008	272	2	0	7	0	n/a	n/a	18	299
2009	286	9	6	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	307
2010	309	5	3	3	3	0	7	0	330
2011	285	7	3	8	2	0	3	0	308
2012	283	5	5	13	1	0	12	0	319
2013	286	8	5	17	1	1	15	0	333
2014	295	10	5	18	3	1	12	0	344
2015	321	20	5	21	4	2	15	0	388
2016	315	17	6	19	2	1	14	0	374
2017	351	15	6	27	1	1	15	0	416
2018	322	14	5	28	1	0	15	0	385
2019	309	10	4	31	0	0	20	0	374
2020	289	10	3	30	0	0	23	0	355
2021	267	13	2	23	0	0	23	0	328
2022	276	17	4	15	1	1	32	0	346
2023	274	16	3	19	3	1	29	0	345
2024	232	17	2	28	1	2	29	0	311

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Sunflower Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1997	417	24.5	17.0	14.1
1998	452	27.1	16.7	13.5
1999	462	30.0	15.4	12.6
2000	499	32.2	15.5	9.2
2001	451	32.6	13.8	9.5
2002	434	29.6	14.7	17.1
2003	434	29.6	14.7	17.1
2004	424	29.1	14.6	18.9
2005	444	29.8	14.9	23.6
2006	334	22.8	14.6	11.7
2007	388	27.1	14.3	11.4
2008	299	21.7	13.8	14.2
2009	307	21.9	14.0	13.7
2010	330	22.9	14.4	21.2
2011	308	23.4	13.1	19.8
2012	319	23.4	13.5	17.9
2013	333	21.0	15.8	15.3
2014	344	21.0	16.3	14.5
2015	388	22.0	17.6	19.3
2016	374	n/a	n/a	21.9
2017	416	25.0	16.6	23.3
2018	385	26.5	14.5	20
2019	374	28.5	13.1	13.9
2020	355	27.0	13.1	18.6
2021	328	26.5	12.3	21.3
2022	346	28.0	12.3	20.5
2023	345	28.0	12.3	29.3
2024	311	25.3	12.2	30.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Sunflower Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1997	417	24.5	17.0	14.1
1998	452	27.1	16.7	13.5
1999	462	30.0	15.4	12.6
2000	499	32.2	15.5	9.2
2001	451	32.6	13.8	9.5
2002	434	29.6	14.7	17.1
2003	434	29.6	14.7	17.1
2004	424	29.1	14.6	18.9
2005	444	29.8	14.9	23.6
2006	334	22.8	14.6	11.7
2007	388	27.1	14.3	11.4
2008	299	21.7	13.8	14.2
2009	307	21.9	14.0	13.7
2010	330	22.9	14.4	21.2
2011	308	23.4	13.1	19.8
2012	319	23.4	13.5	17.9
2013	333	21.0	15.8	15.3
2014	344	21.0	16.3	14.5
2015	388	22.0	17.6	19.3
2016	374	n/a	n/a	21.9
2017	416	25.0	16.6	23.3
2018	385	26.5	14.5	20
2019	374	28.5	13.1	13.9
2020	355	27.0	13.1	18.6
2021	328	26.5	12.3	21.3
2022	346	28.0	12.3	20.5
2023	345	28.0	12.3	29.3
2024	311	25.3	12.2	30.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Sunflower Elementary

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$266 (2.5%)	$10,369 (97.5%)	$10,635

Data source: Kansas Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Sunflower Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 90^th of 667 Elementary schools	Ranks 375^th of 660 Elementary schools	43.3%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Sunflower Elementary)	45.6	29.6	16%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Gardner Edgerton)	43.3	43.3
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Kansas)	40.6	38.1	2.5%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Sunflower Elementary)	73.7	38.2	35.5%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Gardner Edgerton)	62.3	61.2	1.1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Kansas)	50.3	50.4	0.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Sunflower Elementary)	69.2	48	21.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Gardner Edgerton)	58.1	40.5	17.5%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Kansas)	47.6	42.8	4.8%
4th Grade Mathematics (Sunflower Elementary)	51.6	40	11.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Gardner Edgerton)	51	34.3	16.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Kansas)	36.1	37.6	1.5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	374	345	7.8%
African American	10	16	60%
American Indian	0	3
Asian	4	3	25%
Hispanic	31	19	38.7%
Pacific Islander	0	1
White	309	274	11.3%
Two or More Races	20	29	45%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	13.9%	29.3%	15.4%

Schools Near Sunflower Elementary

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 All Grades	KAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	KAP Mathematics 4th Grade	KAP Mathematics 5th Grade	KAP Mathematics All Grades	KAP Science 5th Grade	KAP Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sunflower Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	775 North Center	Gardner	66030	Johnson County	Gardner Edgerton	No	No	No	No	(913) 856-3700	311	25	12.2	30.2%	232 (74.6%)	17 (5.5%)	28 (9.0%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	29 (9.3%)	48.1	347^th of 653 public elementary schools	46.9%		44.5	375^th of 660 public elementary schools	43.2%	28	36.2	40.3		38.3	55.2	31.6		43.5			$10,635	$266	$10,369
Gardner Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	218 E Shawnee	Gardner	66030	Johnson County	Gardner Edgerton	No	No	No	Yes	(913) 856-3300	321	27	11.7	47.7%	237 (73.8%)	16 (5.0%)	42 (13.1%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (7.5%)	68.6	177^th of 653 public elementary schools	72.9%		57.6	257^th of 660 public elementary schools	61.1%	80	37.3	51.9		43.8	61.2	55.6		58.7			$11,265	$786	$10,478
Madison Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	800 W. Madison St.	Gardner	66030	Johnson County	Gardner Edgerton	No	No	No	No	(913) 856-0400	523	35	14.7	31.7%	397 (75.9%)	28 (5.4%)	40 (7.6%)	8 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (9.4%)	61	235^th of 653 public elementary schools	64.0%		57.6	256^th of 660 public elementary schools	61.2%	21	42.1	57.6		49.4	46.3	41.2		43.9			$9,754	$368	$9,387
Grand Star Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	401 East Grand Street	Gardner	66030	Johnson County	Gardner Edgerton	No	No	No	Yes	(913) 856-3750	351	35	9.9	54.7%	195 (55.6%)	17 (4.8%)	111 (31.6%)	8 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.7%)	58.3	259^th of 653 public elementary schools	60.3%		61.2	216^th of 660 public elementary schools	67.3%	43	40.0	44.0		41.9	53.4	45.3		49.5			$11,503	$873	$10,630
Moonlight Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	17960 S Moonlight Road	Gardner	66030	Johnson County	Gardner Edgerton	No	No	No	Yes	(913) 856-3100	330	27	12.3	53.0%	215 (65.2%)	25 (7.6%)	47 (14.2%)	5 (1.5%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.9%)	33 (10.0%)	28.3	492^nd of 653 public elementary schools	24.7%		36.3	441^st of 660 public elementary schools	33.2%	51	18.4	33.3		26.2	42.9	27.8		34.9			$11,993	$702	$11,291
Nike Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	19500 S. Gardner Road	Gardner	66030	Johnson County	Gardner Edgerton	No	No	No	No	(913) 856-3000	365	30	12.0	37.5%	282 (77.3%)	17 (4.7%)	31 (8.5%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (8.2%)	80.3	105^th of 653 public elementary schools	83.9%		72.3	143^rd of 660 public elementary schools	78.3%	38	49.3	63.8		56.2	63.2	55.1		59.3			$10,891	$404	$10,487
Clearwater Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	930 S Clearwater Creek Drive	Olathe	66061	Johnson County	Olathe	No	No	No	No	(913) 780-7360	571	33	17.3	14.5%	438 (76.7%)	38 (6.7%)	50 (8.8%)	22 (3.9%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.5%)	89.8	42^nd of 653 public elementary schools	93.6%		83.7	80^th of 660 public elementary schools	87.9%	38	58.2	68.9	53.4	59.9	77.2	71.1	68.0	71.7	62.1	62.1	$9,316	$361	$8,955
Dayton Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	21120 W 188th Ter	Spring Hill	66083	Johnson County	Spring Hill	No	No	No	No	(913) 592-7266	277	22	12.5	18.1%	222 (80.1%)	9 (3.2%)	26 (9.4%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	16 (5.8%)								(n/a)
Prairie Center Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	629 N Persimmon Dr	Olathe	66061	Johnson County	Olathe	No	No	No	No	(913) 780-7610	365	26	14.0	18.4%	287 (78.6%)	23 (6.3%)	20 (5.5%)	11 (3.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.0%)	88.2	56^th of 653 public elementary schools	91.4%		81.8	92^nd of 660 public elementary schools	86.1%	36	50.0	55.7	63.5	55.7	67.6	74.3	71.1	71.0	75.0	75.0	$11,062	$643	$10,419
Rolling Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1500 W Elm Terr	Olathe	66061	Johnson County	Olathe	No	No	No	Yes	(913) 780-7650	380	32	12.0	67.9%	140 (36.8%)	25 (6.6%)	181 (47.6%)	8 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.8%)	15	577^th of 653 public elementary schools	11.6%		23.7	532^nd of 660 public elementary schools	19.4%	45	21.3	18.9	22.4	20.8	18.9	16.1	20.0	18.2	25.0	25.0	$13,255	$2,107	$11,148

Frequently Asked Questions about Sunflower Elementary

What district is Sunflower Elementary in?

Gardner Edgerton

How many students attend Sunflower Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 311 students attended Sunflower Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Sunflower Elementary?

Students at Sunflower Elementary are 75% White, 9% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic, 5% African American.

What schools do graduates of Sunflower Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sunflower Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Wheatridge Middle School
High : Gardner Edgerton High

Is Sunflower Elementary a good school?

Sunflower Elementary ranks 347^th of 653 Kansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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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.