Best Public Schools in Clay Center, KS

Summary:

The city of Clay Center, Kansas is home to 4 schools serving students from elementary through high school, including 2 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school. The schools in this area display a range of academic performance, with Clay Center Community High School consistently ranking among the top 50-100 high schools in Kansas and Garfield Elementary School performing exceptionally well, especially in Science. However, Clay Center Community Middle School lags behind the other schools in academic proficiency.

Clay Center Community High School stands out as a top-performing institution, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and impressive academic metrics, including a 89.5% four-year graduation rate and 60.97% of students proficient or better in KAP Mathematics. In contrast, Garfield Elementary School also excels, ranking in the top 25% of Kansas elementary schools and outperforming the Clay County and state averages in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science proficiency.

While the schools in Clay Center display varying levels of academic performance, a concerning trend across all four institutions is the high 19.5% chronic absenteeism rate reported for the 2024-2025 school year. This issue may impact student learning and academic outcomes, and addressing it could be a key focus area for the district moving forward. Additionally, the disparities in middle school performance suggest an opportunity for the district to allocate resources and support to ensure more equitable educational outcomes for all students in Clay Center.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				KAP English Language Arts (2025)								KAP Mathematics (2025)								KAP Science (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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 All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Garfield Elementary	Public	4-5	815 4th St	Clay Center	67432	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 632-2125	170	12	13.8	45.9%	158 (92.9%)	1 (0.6%)	6 (3.5%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.4%)	69.6	171^st of 656 public elementary schools	73.9%		69.7	164^th of 653 public elementary schools	74.9%	7		52.2	58.9					55.2		48.9	56.2					52.1	58.9		58.9	$12,417	$1,775	$10,642
Lincoln Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	1020 Grant	Clay Center	67432	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 632-2156	341	30	11.3	49.6%	319 (93.5%)	4 (1.2%)	11 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.5%)								(n/a)	63.1							63.1	48.8							48.8				$12,584	$1,854	$10,730
Clay Center Community Middle	Public	6-8	935 Prospect Street	Clay Center	67432	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	No	(785) 632-3232	226	22	10.2	46.5%	209 (92.5%)	2 (0.9%)	9 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.7%)	52.4	159^th of 363 public middle schools	56.2%		37.2	224^th of 362 public middle schools	38.1%	65				48.5	44.9	40.7		44.4				50.0	29.4	40.7		40.0		30.9	30.9	$13,000	$891	$12,109
Clay Center Community High	Public	9-12	1630 Ninth St	Clay Center	67432	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	No	(785) 632-2131	326	26	12.5	40.8%	295 (90.5%)	2 (0.6%)	16 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.7%)	80.7	52^nd of 332 public high schools	84.3%		77.5	49^th of 318 public high schools	84.6%	3							43.9	43.9							61.0	61.0				$13,671	$764	$12,907

Cities Near Clay Center

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Wakefield	12.97 mi	2	287^th
Clifton	15.51 mi	2	240^th
Riley	15.78 mi	2	7^th
Milford	18.02 mi	1	97^th
Miltonvale	18.12 mi	1

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 Clay Center, KS

Clay Center Community High

Garfield Elementary

Clay Center Community Middle

Lincoln Elementary

Cities Near Clay Center