Summary:
Argonia Public Schools serves families in Argonia, Kansas, through two schools: Argonia Elementary for prekindergarten through grade 5, and Argonia High for grades 6–12. The schools have notably different academic profiles: in 2025–26, Elementary was above state proficiency rates in all three subjects, while High was below the state in ELA and science. The most important finding is the sharp split between Elementary’s stronger results and High’s weaker ELA and science performance.
Elementary stands out at the top of the two-school comparison: its all-grades proficiency was 60% in ELA, 54% in math and 50% in science, compared with High’s 35%, 42% and 25%—gaps of 25, 12 and 25 percentage points. Elementary was above the state by 14 points in ELA, 13 in math and 12 in science. High was 11 points below the state in ELA and 13 below in science, but 1 point above in math. SchoolDigger ranks Elementary 205th of 657 schools, in the 69th percentile with 3 stars; High ranks 293rd of 340, in the 14th percentile with 1 star.
Recent results moved in different directions by subject. From 2024–25 to 2025–26, High’s ELA proficiency fell 13 percentage points, while its math rose 8 points and science rose 11; Elementary’s ELA dipped 1 point, while math rose 6. SchoolDigger’s ranking history also diverged: High fell 77 percentile points from its 2023–24 peak, while Elementary rose 14 points from its earliest listed year. For context, student–teacher ratios are 7.6 at Elementary and 9.1 at High; free/reduced-lunch rates are 57% and 37%, respectively. Chronic absenteeism is 5% and 6%, compared with 18% statewide, and High’s graduation rate is 92% versus 90% statewide. These context measures describe the schools but do not explain their test results.
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