Smith Center

The Smith Center school district in Kansas consists of two schools - Smith Center Elementary and Smith Center Junior Senior High. While the junior/senior high school is a standout performer, the elementary school has more mixed results.

Smith Center Junior Senior High is the clear standout, consistently ranking in the top 5% of Kansas high schools with a 4-5 star rating. It boasts strong test scores exceeding the state average by 10-20 percentage points in English Language Arts, Math, and Science, as well as a high 89.5% 4-year graduation rate and low 1.3% dropout rate. In contrast, Smith Center Elementary has fluctuated between the 145th and 249th rank out of 600-660 elementary schools statewide, with a 3-4 star rating.

Both schools face challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates around 20% and a large percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, around 49%. Funding levels are similar between the two schools, with per-student spending around $12,000-$12,500 and student-teacher ratios of 14.1 at the elementary school and 10.9 at the high school. These factors suggest the performance differences may be driven by factors beyond just funding, such as curriculum, teaching quality, or other school-level factors.