Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Plum Creek Elementary

Q: Is Plum Creek Elementary a good school?

Plum Creek Elementary ranks 203 rd of 656 Kansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

203^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 656 Kansas Elementary Schools

Better than 69% of Kansas elementary schools

Summary

Plum Creek Elementary is a public elementary school in Hutchinson, Kansas, serving 466 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Buhler School District, which is ranked 160 out of 264 districts in the state.

Plum Creek Elementary consistently outperforms the Buhler district and the state of Kansas in proficiency rates for English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grades. In the 2024-2025 school year, 54.58% of Plum Creek students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 45.35% for the Buhler district and 44.47% for the state. In Mathematics, 53.79% of Plum Creek students were proficient or better, compared to 40.98% for the Buhler district and 38.73% for the state. The school's performance is particularly strong in 3rd and 5th grade ELA, as well as 3rd grade Mathematics. Additionally, Plum Creek Elementary ranks in the top 15% of Kansas elementary schools for its performance with special education students.

However, the school has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 5.1% in 2022-2023 to 19.5% in 2024-2025. This is an area of concern that the school and district should address. Plum Creek Elementary's academic performance is generally stronger than the nearby Buhler Grade School and Union Valley Elementary, but lags behind the performance of Nickerson Elementary, a school in a different district, in several subject areas and grade levels.

448

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,559

Per pupil spending ?

35.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

901 East 43rd Avenue
Hutchinson, KS 67502

(620) 662-5535

District: Buhler

Students who attend Plum Creek Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Prairie Hills Middle
High:	Buhler High

Racial breakdown:

White:

85.0%

Hispanic:

10.9%

African American:

2.0%

See top rated Kansas elementary schools

Compare Plum Creek Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 74th percentile in 2017 → 69th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Kansas average (55% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Above the Kansas median (69th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2017

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school55%

District avg44%

Kansas avg42%

203^rd of 656

Kansas public elementary schools ?

Top 31%▼ down 5 pts since 2017

From top 26% (2017) to top 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Kansas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Buhler

160^th of 264Buhler 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	66.8	203 of 656	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.0	339 of 653	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.2	282 of 660	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.5	173 of 668	74.1%	★★★★☆
2021	62.9	229 of 670	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.7	347 of 667	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.0	297 of 656	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	69.2	169 of 659	74.4%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2021	58.7	67 of 214	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.9	70 of 193	63.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2021	69.4	150 of 591	74.6%	★★★★☆
2019	55.6	259 of 591	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.4	219 of 574	61.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2024	60.3	79 of 260	69.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	59.5	183 of 533	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.7	283 of 546	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.0	330 of 541	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	69.7	92 of 512	82.0%	★★★★☆
2021	63.9	137 of 494	72.3%	★★★★☆
2019	50.3	242 of 509	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.9	205 of 512	60.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2021	52.7	277 of 605	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.5	344 of 586	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.8	286 of 575	50.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	76.9	42 of 313	86.6%	★★★★☆
2024	57.0	111 of 306	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.1	63 of 296	78.7%	★★★★☆
2021	58.7	67 of 214	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.9	70 of 193	63.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	57.2	241 of 576	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.9	381 of 579	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.4	354 of 584	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.5	192 of 596	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.0	270 of 587	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.4	375 of 592	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.1	339 of 574	40.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)87th percentile+18 vs school

Female (2021)75th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2024)70th percentile+22 vs school

Disabled (2021)69th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)66th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)58th percentile-11 vs school

Male (2021)54th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs Kansas (2024-2025) ?

Science56%+15 vs state

English Language Arts55%+10 vs state

Mathematics54%+15 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Plum Creek 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
Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Wonderful and caring teachers. Close Quote

Schools Near Plum Creek Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				KAP English Language Arts (2025)					KAP Mathematics (2025)					KAP Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	KAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	KAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	KAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	KAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	KAP English Language Arts All Grades	KAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	KAP Mathematics 4th Grade	KAP Mathematics 5th Grade	KAP Mathematics 6th Grade	KAP Mathematics All Grades	KAP Science 5th Grade	KAP Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Plum Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	901 East 43rd Avenue	Hutchinson	67502	Reno County	Buhler	No	No	No	No	(620) 662-5535	448	29	15.6	35.5%	381 (85.0%)	9 (2.0%)	49 (10.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.1%)	66.8	203^rd of 656 public elementary schools	69.1%		49	339^th of 653 public elementary schools	48.1%	136	62.3	39.7	60.9		54.6	58.0	54.0	49.2		53.8	56.2	56.2	$11,559	$1,031	$10,528
Morgan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	100 W 27th	Hutchinson	67502	Reno County	Hutchinson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 615-5200	388	30	12.9	55.7%	256 (66.0%)	6 (1.5%)	87 (22.4%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (9.5%)	32.7	471^st of 656 public elementary schools	28.2%		24.1	522^nd of 653 public elementary schools	20.1%	51	34.1	39.7	54.0	36.2	41.3	12.2	27.6	24.0	48.9	28.6	40.0	40.0	$15,484	$2,378	$13,106
Union Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2501 E 30th	Hutchinson	67502	Reno County	Buhler	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 662-4891	435	29	15.2	40.5%	371 (85.3%)	2 (0.5%)	59 (13.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	53.3	304^th of 656 public elementary schools	53.7%		56.6	273^rd of 653 public elementary schools	58.2%	31	37.9	54.2	50.0		47.6	44.8	61.0	44.3		49.7	42.9	42.9	$11,897	$1,465	$10,432
Graber Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1600 N Cleveland	Hutchinson	67501	Reno County	Hutchinson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 615-5050	311	22	14.3	76.5%	165 (53.1%)	13 (4.2%)	92 (29.6%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (11.9%)	17.7	564^th of 656 public elementary schools	14.0%		20.2	545^th of 653 public elementary schools	16.5%	19	39.6	38.5	36.7	20.0	33.7	18.7	20.5	26.1	22.2	21.9	24.5	24.5	$15,592	$2,378	$13,214
Wiley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	900 W 21st	Hutchinson	67502	Reno County	Hutchinson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 615-5250	322	21	15.5	61.2%	233 (72.4%)	12 (3.7%)	55 (17.1%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.9%)	24.7	511^th of 656 public elementary schools	22.1%		21.6	536^th of 653 public elementary schools	17.9%	25	32.5	37.0	25.5	51.0	37.0	10.0	2.2	38.3	31.4	21.2	34.0	34.0	$16,014	$2,378	$13,635
Faris Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	301 East 10th	Hutchinson	67501	Reno County	Hutchinson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 615-5000	279	23	12.2	89.6%	153 (54.8%)	15 (5.4%)	79 (28.3%)	2 (0.7%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (9.7%)	18.3	557^th of 656 public elementary schools	15.1%		10.8	599^th of 653 public elementary schools	8.3%	42	35.0	29.6	48.4	27.0	34.8	17.5	22.2	21.9	16.2	19.1	28.1	28.1	$17,217	$2,378	$14,838
McCandless Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	700 N Baker	Hutchinson	67501	Reno County	Hutchinson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 615-5150	346	29	11.7	93.6%	186 (53.8%)	15 (4.3%)	112 (32.4%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (8.4%)	9.5	616^th of 656 public elementary schools	6.1%		14.3	580^th of 653 public elementary schools	11.2%	36	26.1	21.3	34.7	17.4	25.0	10.2	8.3	23.5	12.8	13.8	23.5	23.5	$16,565	$2,378	$14,187
Hutchinson Magnet School at Allen	Public, Magnet	K-6	403 West 10th	Hutchinson	67501	Reno County	Hutchinson Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(620) 615-4900	249	19	13.3	70.3%	130 (52.2%)	8 (3.2%)	83 (33.3%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (10.4%)	31.1	482^nd of 656 public elementary schools	26.5%		29.3	486^th of 653 public elementary schools	25.6%	4	46.3	26.1	50.0	25.0	38.2	30.9	13.0	47.4	21.6	30.0	48.6	48.6	$16,181	$2,378	$13,803
South Hutchinson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	405 South Poplar	South Hutchinson	67505	Reno County	Nickerson	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 665-8441	326	29	11.2	58.3%	264 (81.0%)	5 (1.5%)	45 (13.8%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.5%)	44.4	371^st of 656 public elementary schools	43.4%		26.2	507^th of 653 public elementary schools	22.4%	136	67.4	39.4	42.9	24.4	44.1	43.2	45.5	45.7	16.7	37.0	51.4	51.4	$16,655	$1,640	$15,015
Buhler Grade School	Public	PK, KG-5	808 N Main	Buhler	67522	Reno County	Buhler	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 543-2240	241	16	15.1	52.3%	203 (84.2%)	5 (2.1%)	32 (13.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	81	104^th of 656 public elementary schools	84.1%		72.9	134^th of 653 public elementary schools	79.5%	30	67.5	57.7	65.7		64.4	62.5	50.0	62.9		59.4	77.1	77.1	$13,000	$1,549	$11,451

Frequently Asked Questions about Plum Creek Elementary

What district is Plum Creek Elementary in?

Buhler

How many students attend Plum Creek Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 448 students attended Plum Creek Elementary.

Is Plum Creek Elementary a good school?

Plum Creek Elementary ranks 203^rd of 656 Kansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Plum Creek Elementary attend?

Students who attend Plum Creek Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Prairie Hills Middle
High : Buhler High

What is the racial makeup of Plum Creek Elementary?

Students at Plum Creek Elementary are 85% White, 11% Hispanic, 2% African American, 1% Two or more races.

Rate Plum Creek Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

KSKansas Elementary School Rankings

KSKansas District Rankings

Schools in Hutchinson, KS

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Plum Creek Elementary!

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.