Osawatomie High

Osawatomie High is a small, rural high school in Osawatomie, Kansas, serving 295 students in grades 9-12, where over 55% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The most pressing issue facing the school is an extreme chronic absenteeism rate of 45%, which is more than double the state average of 19.5% and significantly higher than nearby schools like Louisburg High (8.6%) and Paola High (14.3%). This absenteeism crisis is closely tied to the school's declining academic performance, as its graduation rate has dropped from 91.3% in 2019-2020 to 83.1% in 2023-2024, and its state ranking has fallen from the 53rd percentile (3-star) in 2017-2018 to the 20th percentile (1-star) in 2024-2025.

Despite spending $15,377 per student—more than high-performing Louisburg High ($12,284) and comparable to Paola High ($15,943)—Osawatomie High's academic outcomes are far worse, indicating that funding is not translating into results. The school's low student-to-teacher ratio of 10.8:1 has not helped overcome these challenges. Interestingly, the school shows a relative strength in serving its low socio-economic status (SES) students, who ranked in the 42nd percentile in 2024-2025, significantly higher than the school's overall rank. However, performance for other subgroups is inconsistent, with White students ranking in the 4th percentile in 2023-2024, suggesting a lack of a coherent, school-wide instructional strategy.

For context, nearby schools like Paola High have improved from the 47th to the 61st percentile over the same period, while Louisburg High consistently ranks in the top 5% of the state. The Osawatomie district also operates the Osawatomie Virtual School, which has a 0% chronic absenteeism rate but a 16.7% dropout rate and costs $22,259 per student, raising questions about its effectiveness as an alternative. Overall, Osawatomie High's decade-long decline highlights the urgent need to address absenteeism and improve instructional strategies to better serve all students.