Hesston

Hesston has three public schools serving students from prekindergarten through grade 12: Hesston Elementary (PK–4), Hesston Middle (grades 5–8) and Hesston High (grades 9–12). The schools enroll about 273 to 306 students each. The strongest overall message is that every school is above the state result in each supplied 2025–26 all-grades subject: the schools’ average advantage is 20 percentage points in ELA and 23 points in math, while science results are 21 points above the state at Middle and 5 points above at High.

Each school stands out in a different subject: Hesston High leads in ELA at 70%, compared with 65% at Middle and 63% at Elementary; Hesston Middle leads in math at 66% and science at 59%. High has the lowest supplied science result, 43%, 16 points below Middle’s and just 5 points above the state. SchoolDigger ranks Middle and High at the 93rd percentile statewide and Elementary at the 81st; Middle has held the 93rd percentile in all three reported years. Because the schools serve different grades, their all-grades results are not direct same-grade comparisons.

Recent score changes are mixed: from 2024–25 to 2025–26, High rose 19 percentage points in ELA and 18 in math, while Elementary fell 5 points in each; Middle gained 2 points in ELA and 4 in math. SchoolDigger’s ranking also shifted: High moved from the 79th percentile last year to the 93rd, while Elementary declined from the 90th to the 81st. Attendance offers another point of comparison: chronic absenteeism is 5% at Elementary, 9% at Middle and 12% at High, versus 18% statewide. High has the lowest student–teacher ratio, 11.7, while Middle’s is 16.8; reported free/reduced-lunch rates are 24% at High and 30% at Elementary. These are useful context measures, not explanations for test results.