Kanopolis Middle

Kanopolis Middle is a 141-student school serving grades 4–6 in Kanopolis, Kansas, in the Ellsworth district. No other schools are within 20 miles. The central academic finding is that in 2025–2026, the school’s proficiency was above Kansas averages in ELA, math and science.

Math is the school’s strongest subject compared with the state: 62% of students were proficient, versus 41% statewide, a 21-point lead. ELA was 56%, 11 points above the state’s 46%; science was 46%, 8 points above the state’s 38%. The school’s leads over its district were smaller—2 points in ELA, 3 in math and 2 in science. Results also differ by grade: sixth graders were especially strong, with 73% proficiency in ELA and 77% in math, while fifth-grade ELA was 44%, 7 points below the state average for that grade. A nearby-school comparison is not available.

Math has improved each year reported, rising from 44% proficiency in 2022–2023 to 62% in 2025–2026; ELA rose overall from 38% to 56%. Science moved in the opposite direction, falling from 58% to 46%, though it remains above the state average. The school’s science lead over Kansas narrowed by 19 points over that period. Chronic absenteeism was 6.7% in the latest year, close to the district’s 6.6% and below the state’s 17.8%; the school’s rate rose from 2.0% the year before. The student–teacher ratio declined from 14.1 in 2022–2023 to 12.9 in 2024–2025, while the free/reduced-lunch rate increased from 35% to 43%. These figures describe school context but do not explain its academic results.