Best Public Schools in Russell, KS

Russell, Kansas, has three schools serving preschool through grade 12: Simpson Elementary for preschool–grade 1, Bickerdyke Elementary for grades 2–6, and Russell Junior-Senior High for grades 7–12. Test scores are supplied for Bickerdyke and Russell Junior-Senior High, but not Simpson; because the reporting schools serve different grade spans, their all-grades results are not direct same-grade comparisons. The clearest shared concern is math: Bickerdyke’s result was nearly level with the state at 41%, while Russell Junior-Senior High’s was 23%, 18 points below the state.

Bickerdyke stands out among the schools with scores, leading Russell Junior-Senior High by 5 points in ELA, 17 in math, and 13 in science. Its all-grades results were 48% in ELA and 47% in science, compared with state results of 46% and 38%; its math result was 41%, about level with the state. The high school was below the state in all three subjects: 43% in ELA, 23% in math, and 34% in science. Grade-level results show variation: Bickerdyke’s fourth-grade ELA and math were 10 and 9 points above the state, but sixth-grade ELA was 19 points below. The high school’s eighth-grade ELA was 10 points above the state, while its math results were below the state in all three reported grades. SchoolDigger ranks Bickerdyke 365th of 657 elementary schools (44th percentile) and the high school 240th of 340 high schools (29th percentile); these are different comparison groups.

Reported results improved most in science, but changes differed by school and subject. From 2024–25 to 2025–26, the two-school average rose 20 points in science and 10 in ELA, while math rose only 2 points—about the same as the state increase. The high school’s science rose 25 points, but its math fell 1 point; Bickerdyke improved in all three subjects. Attendance also distinguishes the schools: chronic absenteeism was 29% at the high school, 13% at Bickerdyke, and 7% at Simpson, compared with 18% statewide. The high school’s graduation rate was 92%, above the state’s 90%, while its dropout rate was 3% versus 1% statewide. Student-teacher ratios were 10.1 at the high school, 11.6 at Bickerdyke, and 13.5 at Simpson; free- or reduced-price lunch rates were 50%, 54%, and 49%, respectively. These figures offer context, not an explanation for test results.