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

Sunset Elementary

Public Grades K-4

536^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 656 Kansas Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of Kansas elementary schools

Summary

Sunset Elementary is a small K-4 school in the Newton district, serving 199 students in a community where 77.4% of students face economic disadvantage. The school has experienced a significant decline over the past decade, dropping from a solidly average ranking to its current position in the bottom quarter of Kansas elementary schools. However, there is a bright spot: Sunset's 4th graders achieved a 43.58% math proficiency rate in 2024-2025, which actually surpasses the state average and dramatically outperforms the school's own 3rd graders (17.06% proficiency). This 26.5 percentage point jump suggests a highly effective 4th-grade math program or teacher, and it is the largest positive swing in math proficiency among all Newton elementary schools.

The school invests heavily in individualized attention, spending $13,175 per student—significantly more than the Newton district average—and maintaining a very low student-teacher ratio of 10.5:1. Yet this high spending has not translated into overall improvement, creating what might be called a "Newton paradox." For comparison, Slate Creek Elementary, the highest-ranked school in the district, spends even more per student ($14,141) and achieves much better results despite a similarly high poverty rate (69%). This suggests that how money is spent—on curriculum, teacher training, or support staff—matters more than the amount spent. Meanwhile, nearby high-performing schools like Hesston Elementary (6.4% chronic absenteeism) and Moundridge Elementary (6.2%) demonstrate what's possible with lower absenteeism rates.

Chronic absenteeism at Sunset (21.2%) is a significant challenge, though it is actually lower than the Newton district average of 24.9%, indicating this is a district-wide issue tied to broader socioeconomic factors. The school's Hispanic students have shown consistent, modest success, ranking in the 46th percentile in 2022-2023, which contrasts sharply with the school's overall performance. Understanding what works for this group could provide a blueprint for improvement. However, the school's largest student populations—White students and low-income students—rank in the 10th and 8th percentiles statewide, respectively, and have been in steep decline. Sunset needs a comprehensive, data-driven turnaround strategy to reverse its decade-long slide and build on the promising 4th-grade math results.

199

Students ?

10.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,175

Per pupil spending ?

77.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

619 Boyd
Newton, KS 67114

(316) 284-6570

District: Newton

Students who attend Sunset Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Chisholm Middle School
	Santa Fe 5/6 Center
High:	Newton Senior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.4%

Hispanic:

18.6%

Two or more races:

9.0%

See top rated Kansas elementary schools

Compare Sunset Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 47th percentile in 2015 → 18th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Kansas average (29% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 29 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg27%

Kansas avg42%

536^th of 656

Kansas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▼ down 29 pts since 2015

From bottom 47% (2015) to bottom 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Kansas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Elementary Schools in the Newton

243^rd of 264Newton 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	22.0	536 of 656	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.6	559 of 653	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.1	559 of 660	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.8	504 of 668	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.9	499 of 670	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.1	467 of 667	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.5	418 of 656	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	49.3	333 of 659	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	65.3	201 of 656	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	49.7	360 of 678	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	48.7	440 of 668	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	72.8	134 of 660	79.7%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2019	21.1	173 of 193	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2021	34.0	404 of 591	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.9	385 of 591	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.8	411 of 574	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2023	43.6	132 of 245	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.9	128 of 254	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.0	114 of 229	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.7	62 of 235	73.6%	★★★★☆
2018	59.8	59 of 207	71.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	17.8	492 of 533	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.4	516 of 546	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.2	468 of 541	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.5	356 of 512	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.0	391 of 494	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.4	338 of 509	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.3	301 of 512	41.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2021	30.1	452 of 605	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.9	421 of 586	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	47.8	304 of 575	47.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	19.5	273 of 313	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.5	237 of 296	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.5	189 of 305	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.1	173 of 193	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	18.3	521 of 576	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.0	542 of 579	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.0	551 of 584	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.5	504 of 596	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.1	472 of 587	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.6	432 of 592	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.7	382 of 574	33.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2023)46th percentile+31 vs school

Female (2021)32nd percentile+6 vs school

Male (2021)25th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)13th percentile-6 vs school

Disabled (2019)10th percentile-20 vs school

White (2025)10th percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)8th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Kansas (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics30%-9 vs state

English Language Arts29%-16 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Sunset Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Sunset 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

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Sunset Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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
Sunset Elementary	Public	K-4	619 Boyd	Newton	67114	Harvey County	Newton	No	No	No	Yes	(316) 284-6570	199	19	10.5	77.4%	140 (70.4%)	2 (1.0%)	37 (18.6%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (9.0%)	22	536^th of 656 public elementary schools	18.3%		18.6	559^th of 653 public elementary schools	14.4%	23	26.8	30.8			28.8	17.1	43.6			30.0			$13,175	$2,946	$10,229
Northridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1900 Windsor Dr.	Newton	67114	Harvey County	Newton	No	No	No	Yes	(316) 284-6540	345	19	18.4	71.9%	201 (58.3%)	7 (2.0%)	101 (29.3%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (9.3%)	25.3	509^th of 656 public elementary schools	22.4%		19.4	553^rd of 653 public elementary schools	15.3%	44	36.1	47.7			42.5	27.0	18.6			22.5			$8,442	$1,919	$6,524
South Breeze Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1020 Old Main	Newton	67114	Harvey County	Newton	No	No	No	Yes	(316) 284-6560	316	24	13.2	62.0%	174 (55.1%)	16 (5.1%)	86 (27.2%)	4 (1.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (10.8%)	18.7	556^th of 656 public elementary schools	15.2%		28.8	489^th of 653 public elementary schools	25.1%	67	34.4	41.3			37.3	17.5	19.6			18.3			$10,465	$2,399	$8,067
Slate Creek Elementary	Public	K-4	901 E. 4th	Newton	67114	Harvey County	Newton	No	No	No	Yes	(316) 284-6550	236	21	11.4	69.1%	126 (53.4%)	1 (0.4%)	84 (35.6%)	5 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	19 (8.1%)	39	421^st of 656 public elementary schools	35.8%		41.2	408^th of 653 public elementary schools	37.5%	13	37.5	50.0			43.6	20.9	51.3			35.0			$14,141	$4,956	$9,185
Hesston Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	300 E Amos	Hesston	67062	Harvey County	Hesston	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 327-7102	306	21	14.8	30.1%	251 (82.0%)	2 (0.7%)	30 (9.8%)	5 (1.6%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.9%)	86.1	64^th of 656 public elementary schools	90.2%		87.3	62^nd of 653 public elementary schools	90.5%	2	63.2	70.5			67.4	64.9	73.1			69.6			$10,992	$620	$10,372
R L Wright Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	400 W 4th St	Sedgwick	67135	Harvey County	Sedgwick Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(316) 772-5783	283	23	12.4	40.3%	236 (83.4%)	5 (1.8%)	24 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.7%)	66.8	202^nd of 656 public elementary schools	69.2%		69.5	169^th of 653 public elementary schools	74.1%	33	56.8	56.4	55.8	72.4	59.5	43.2	41.0	44.2	70.0	48.3	51.2	51.2	$13,347	$720	$12,628
Moundridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	207 S. Drucilla	Moundridge	67107	McPherson County	Moundridge	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 345-5500	182	15	12.5	48.4%	161 (88.5%)	1 (0.5%)	11 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.4%)								(n/a)	61.3				61.3	51.6				51.6			$13,087	$1,516	$11,571
Goessel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	500 E Main	Goessel	67053	Marion County	Goessel	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 367-8118	118	12	9.6	37.3%	103 (87.3%)	1 (0.8%)	8 (6.8%)	1 (0.8%)	2 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.5%)	56.2	287^th of 656 public elementary schools	56.3%		39.5	418^th of 653 public elementary schools	36.0%	131	36.8	46.7	60.0		48.1	31.6	46.7	55.0		44.4	70.0	70.0	$18,592	$1,748	$16,844
Bentley Primary School	Public	PK, KG-3	221 N Phelps	Bentley	67016	Sedgwick County	Halstead	No	No	No	Yes	(316) 835-3000	200	19	10.7	53.5%	157 (78.5%)	3 (1.5%)	34 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.5%)								(n/a)	48.3				48.3	40.0				40.0			$14,069	$1,592	$12,477
Wheatland Elementary	Public	K-3	800 Meadow	Valley Center	67147	Sedgwick County	Valley Center Pub School	No	No	No	Yes	(316) 755-7040	325	27	12.2	43.7%	262 (80.6%)	5 (1.5%)	40 (12.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.6%)								(n/a)	59.6				59.6	54.3				54.3			$14,961	$1,518	$13,443

Frequently Asked Questions about Sunset Elementary

What district is Sunset Elementary in?

Newton

What is the racial makeup of Sunset Elementary?

Students at Sunset Elementary are 70% White, 19% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 1% African American, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Sunset Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sunset Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Chisholm Middle School
Middle : Santa Fe 5/6 Center
High : Newton Senior High

Is Sunset Elementary a good school?

Sunset Elementary ranks in the bottom 18.3% of Kansas elementary schools.

How many students attend Sunset Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 199 students attended Sunset Elementary.

Rate Sunset Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

KSKansas Elementary School Rankings

KSKansas District Rankings

Schools in Newton, KS

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Sunset 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.