1. Home
  2. Kansas
  3. Smith Center
  4. Smith Center
  5. Smith Center Elementary
Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Smith Center Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-6
137th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 657 Kansas Elementary Schools
Better than 79% of Kansas elementary schools
Summary

Smith Center Elementary in Smith Center, Kansas, serves pre-K through grade 6 and enrolls 253 students. In 2025–26, its all-grade proficiency rates were higher than both Kansas and the Smith Center district in ELA, math, and science. Its clearest advantage is science: 69% of students were proficient, compared with 38% statewide and 52% districtwide.

Across all grades, the school also had strong ELA results: 70% proficient, versus 46% statewide and 64% districtwide. Math was its relative weakness, though results were still above both comparisons: 52% proficient, versus 41% statewide and 42% districtwide. Grade-level results show why averages need context: grade 5 stood out in ELA and math, at 87% and 72%, while math in grades 3 and 4 fell just below state rates, and grade 6 ELA was 50%, 8 points above its state rate. Nearby Thunder Ridge Elementary has 38 students compared with Smith Center’s 253; its student-teacher ratio is 6.6, compared with 12, and spending is $19,514 per student versus $15,502. Because Thunder Ridge serves only through grade 3, and comparable test results and a school-level SchoolDigger ranking are unavailable, these figures do not support a direct achievement comparison.

Results have improved over time: from 2022–23 to 2025–26, proficiency rose 18 percentage points in ELA, 24 in math, and 13 in science. SchoolDigger rates the school at the 79th percentile with 4 stars, up from the 59th percentile and 3 stars in 2020–21. Its subgroup rankings show both a strength and a concern: the low-socioeconomic-status group reached the 90th percentile in 2025–26, 11 points above the school overall, while the special-education group’s ranking fell from the 61st percentile in 2021–22 to the 36th in 2023–24. Chronic absenteeism was 13% in 2025–26, below the district’s 16% and the state’s 18%, though higher than the school’s 7% in 2023–24.

253
Students ?
12.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$15,502
Per pupil spending ?
52.2%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
 216 South Jefferson
       Smith Center, KS  66967-0329

(785) 282-6614

District: Smith Center


Students who attend Smith Center Elementary usually attend:

High:    Smith Center Junior Senior High
Racial breakdown:

White:
89.7%
Two or more races:
5.5%
African American:
2.0%
more
 See top rated Kansas elementary schools

 Compare Smith Center Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 53rd percentile in 2016 → 79th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the Kansas average (64% vs 42% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 21% of Kansas elementary schools
✓Ranking is trending up — up 26 percentile points since 2016
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school64%
District avg52%
Kansas avg42%
137th of 657
Kansas public elementary schools ?
Top 21%▲ up 26 pts since 2016
From top 47% (2016) to top 21% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Kansas Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
69th of 268Smith Center among Kansas districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKansas percentileRating
202675.3137 of 65779.1%★★★★☆
202574.1145 of 65677.9%★★★★☆
202460.5241 of 65363.1%★★★☆☆
202358.3249 of 66062.3%★★★☆☆
202255.8276 of 66858.7%★★★☆☆
202156.6276 of 67058.8%★★★☆☆
201976.2123 of 66781.6%★★★★☆
201872.6144 of 65678.0%★★★★☆
201763.7220 of 65966.6%★★★☆☆
201653.3307 of 65653.2%★★★☆☆
201570.0168 of 67875.2%★★★★☆
201370.1209 of 66868.7%★★★☆☆
201279.827 of 66095.9%★★★★★
201170.5179 of 63171.6%★★★★☆
201080.153 of 63091.6%★★★★★
200983.55 of 62199.2%★★★★★
200878.977 of 61487.5%★★★★☆
200762.5260 of 60056.7%★★★☆☆
200655.4307 of 58547.5%★★☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKansas percentileRating
202155.680 of 21462.6%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKansas percentileRating
202674.2124 of 58578.8%★★★★☆
202161.6205 of 59165.3%★★★☆☆
201976.7102 of 59182.7%★★★★☆
201875.8101 of 57482.4%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKansas percentileRating
202679.355 of 54689.9%★★★★★
202578.665 of 53387.8%★★★★☆
202463.9163 of 54670.1%★★★★☆
202370.3105 of 54180.6%★★★★☆
202258.7167 of 51267.4%★★★☆☆
202162.4152 of 49469.2%★★★☆☆
201981.728 of 50994.5%★★★★★
201885.221 of 51295.9%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKansas percentileRating
202675.5121 of 59479.6%★★★★☆
202149.8298 of 60550.7%★★★☆☆
201967.2155 of 58673.5%★★★★☆
201866.2163 of 57571.7%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKansas percentileRating
202433.6196 of 30635.9%★★☆☆☆
202253.7120 of 30560.7%★★★☆☆
202155.680 of 21462.6%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKansas percentileRating
202666.6155 of 57673.1%★★★★☆
202565.5175 of 57669.6%★★★☆☆
202452.0272 of 57953.0%★★★☆☆
202349.2297 of 58449.1%★★☆☆☆
202250.4293 of 59650.8%★★★☆☆
202149.1303 of 58748.4%★★☆☆☆
201973.1119 of 59279.9%★★★★☆
201866.6167 of 57470.9%★★★★☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)90th percentile+11 vs school
Male (2026)80th percentile~ school
Female (2026)79th percentile~ school
White (2026)73rd percentile-6 vs school
Disabled (2021)63rd percentile+4 vs school
Special Education (2024)36th percentile-27 vs school
By subject vs Kansas (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts70%+25 vs state
Science69%+31 vs state
Mathematics52%+11 vs state

1.0
1 rating · 1 written review
5★0
4★0
3★0
2★0
1★1
Rate Smith Center Elementary
Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.
Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.
Tap a star to rate
What people are saying
by a parent
Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Open Quote Rampant bullying. Wasted educational time daily. Sexism. Lying. Child Abuse. That’s usd237 Close Quote




Schools Near Smith Center Elementary

Sort
Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private





Frequently Asked Questions about Smith Center Elementary

Smith Center Elementary ranks 137th of 657 Kansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Smith Center Elementary are 90% White, 6% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Hispanic, 1% American Indian.

In the 2024-25 school year, 253 students attended Smith Center Elementary.

Students who attend Smith Center Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Smith Center Junior Senior High

Rate Smith Center Elementary!



Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...


Compare to nearby schools

KSKansas Elementary School Rankings

KSKansas District Rankings

Schools in Smith Center, KS

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Smith Center Elementary!


Latest Kansas data All new data »
2025–26 attendance dataNewOct 13, 2026
2025–26 KAP test scoresNewOct 13, 2026
2023–24 school spending dataJan 8, 2026
2024–25 dropout ratesDec 4, 2025


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.

Diagnostics