Best Public Schools in Garnett, KS

Anderson County Junior/Senior High School and Garnett Elementary School are Garnett’s two schools, serving grades 7–12 and PK–6, respectively, with 419 and 401 students. The overall picture is mixed: in 2025–26, both schools’ all-grades ELA and math proficiency fell below state results, while elementary science was a notable strength at 50% compared with 38% statewide. High-school science was 37%, just below the state’s 38%. Most importantly, neither school was above the state in all-grades ELA or math: high-school results were 35% in ELA and 34% in math, while elementary results were 43% and 39%.

Elementary stands out for science and several grade-level results, while the largest all-grades shortfall is high-school ELA. Elementary science was 12 points above the state; its fifth-grade math was 59% versus 45% statewide, and sixth-grade ELA was 56% versus 42%. But fourth-grade elementary ELA and math were both 25%, respectively 26 and 20 points below state results. At the high school, tenth-grade math (45% versus 37% statewide) and eleventh-grade science (43% versus 30%) were bright spots. In contrast, seventh-grade math was 21%, 16 points below the state. These grade-level differences mean school averages do not tell the whole story for families considering particular grades.

Recent results show a weakening relative position in ELA and math and a shrinking science advantage. Elementary science fell from 59% in 2024–25 to 50% in 2025–26, and high-school science from 44% to 37%; the equally weighted science average declined from 51% to 43%. SchoolDigger ranks the high school 121st of 340 schools in 2025–26, improved from 184th the prior year but below its 95th-place rank in 2023–24; elementary ranked 377th, compared with 326th in 2023–24. Both schools report an 11.7 student–teacher ratio, but attendance differs: chronic absenteeism was 28% at the high school and 19% at elementary, versus 18% statewide. Free/reduced-lunch rates were 44% and 65%, respectively, as context rather than an explanation of outcomes.