Best Public Schools in Ransom, KS

Summary:

The city of Ransom, Kansas is home to two schools - Western Plains North Elementary and Western Plains High, both part of the Western Plains school district. While Western Plains North Elementary outperforms the district and state averages in core subject areas, Western Plains High has seen a decline in its statewide ranking and struggles with proficiency rates, particularly in English Language Arts.

Western Plains North Elementary stands out as a relatively high-performing school, with proficiency rates exceeding the district and state averages in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. However, the school faces a challenge with a high chronic absenteeism rate of 19.5%. In contrast, Western Plains High has seen its statewide ranking drop from 187th out of 325 Kansas high schools in 2018-2019 to 233rd out of 332 in 2024-2025. The high school maintains a relatively high four-year graduation rate of 89.5% and a low dropout rate of 1.3%, but only 18.18% of 10th-grade students are proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 37.93%.

Both schools serve a high proportion of economically disadvantaged students, with over 60% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. This socioeconomic factor may contribute to the academic challenges faced by Western Plains High. The higher spending per student at Western Plains High ($19,515) compared to Western Plains North Elementary ($17,874) suggests a potential focus on supporting the high school, despite its lower academic performance. Overall, the data provides a nuanced picture of the educational landscape in Ransom, Kansas, highlighting the strengths and areas for improvement in the city's schools.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking ()				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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	KAP English Language Arts 10th Grade	KAP English Language Arts All Grades	KAP Mathematics 10th Grade	KAP Mathematics All Grades	KAP Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Western Plains North Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	100 School St.	Ransom	67572	Ness County	Western Plains	No	No	No	No	(785) 731-2352	62	6	11.0	69.4%	55 (88.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.2%)	3 (4.8%)								(n/a)		46.3		43.9	60.0	$22,951	$952	$22,000
Western Plains High	Public	9-12	100 School St.	Ransom	67572	Ness County	Western Plains	No	No	No	No	(785) 731-2352	34	4	8.0	52.9%	20 (58.8%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (35.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33.2	233^rd of 332 public high schools	29.8%					(n/a)	18.2	18.2	38.5	38.5		$23,056	$956	$22,100

Cities Near Ransom

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Ness City	12.66 mi	2	103^rd
Bazine	18.72 mi	1
WaKeeney	27.17 mi	2	224^th
Ellis	28.62 mi	2	107^th
Dighton	30.42 mi	2	51^st

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.