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Northern Hills Elementary

Q: Is Northern Hills Elementary a good school?

Northern Hills Elementary ranks 387 th of 656 Kansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

387^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 656 Kansas Elementary Schools

Better than 41% of Kansas elementary schools

Summary

Northern Hills Elementary is a public elementary school in Topeka, Kansas, serving 419 students in grades K-6 and part of the Seaman School District.

While Northern Hills Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Kansas elementary schools over the past five years, its academic performance on state assessments is generally below the Seaman district and state averages across all grades and subjects. For example, in 2024-2025, only 46.05% of Northern Hills students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 48.04% for the Seaman district and 44.47% for the state. In Mathematics, the school's proficiency rate was 33.88%, compared to 44.22% for Seaman and 38.73% for Kansas. The school's performance is particularly low for certain student subgroups, such as Hispanic students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Within the Seaman district, Northern Hills Elementary performs significantly worse than its neighboring schools, West Indianola Elementary and Elmont Elementary, on academic measures such as state assessment proficiency rates and school rankings. These nearby schools have consistently outperformed Northern Hills Elementary and ranked in the top half of Kansas elementary schools. Additionally, Northern Hills Elementary has a relatively high percentage of students from low-income families, with 42.48% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2023-2024, which may be contributing to the school's lower academic performance and higher chronic absenteeism compared to other schools in the district.

408

Students ?

13.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,006

Per pupil spending ?

44.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5620 NW Topeka Blvd
Topeka, KS 66617

(785) 286-2992

District: Seaman

Students who attend Northern Hills Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Seaman Middle School
High:	Seaman High

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.3%

Hispanic:

10.3%

African American:

6.1%

See top rated Kansas elementary schools

Compare Northern Hills Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 55th percentile in 2019 → 41st in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2019

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Near the bottom of Seaman's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school43%

District avg46%

Kansas avg42%

387^th of 656

Kansas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 41%▼ down 14 pts since 2019

From top 45% (2019) to bottom 41% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Kansas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Seaman

88^th of 264Seaman 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	42.4	387 of 656	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.2	372 of 653	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.6	395 of 660	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.8	374 of 668	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.8	301 of 670	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.0	301 of 667	54.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2021	58.1	232 of 591	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.3	324 of 591	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.1	193 of 574	66.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2022	25.5	221 of 254	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	28.3	436 of 533	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.8	404 of 546	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.6	388 of 541	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.1	397 of 512	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	53.0	214 of 494	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.9	167 of 509	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	82.3	31 of 512	93.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2021	49.8	296 of 605	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.6	233 of 586	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.4	202 of 575	64.9%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	67.3	67 of 313	78.6%	★★★★☆
2024	56.2	116 of 306	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.2	83 of 296	72.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	35.1	403 of 576	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.2	348 of 579	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.8	370 of 584	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.1	335 of 596	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.1	300 of 587	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.0	306 of 592	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	57.4	229 of 574	60.1%	★★★☆☆

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)79th percentile+38 vs school

Female (2021)61st percentile+6 vs school

Male (2021)51st percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)30th percentile-11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)18th percentile-23 vs school

Hispanic (2022)13th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs Kansas (2024-2025) ?

Science50%+9 vs state

English Language Arts46%~ state avg

Mathematics34%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Northern Hills 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
Northern Hills Elementary	Public	K-6	5620 NW Topeka Blvd	Topeka	66617	Shawnee County	Seaman	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 286-2992	408	31	13.2	44.6%	303 (74.3%)	25 (6.1%)	42 (10.3%)	5 (1.2%)	6 (1.5%)	2 (0.5%)	25 (6.1%)	42.4	387^th of 656 public elementary schools	41.0%		45.2	372^nd of 653 public elementary schools	43.0%	15	55.2	43.1	46.5	40.0	46.1	43.1	34.8	32.8	25.0	33.9	50.0	50.0	$13,006	$1,152	$11,854
Elmont Elementary	Public	K-6	6432 NW Elmont Rd	Topeka	66618	Shawnee County	Seaman	No	No	No	No	(785) 286-8450	303	19	15.8	27.7%	246 (81.2%)	13 (4.3%)	21 (6.9%)	4 (1.3%)	7 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.0%)	72.5	152^nd of 656 public elementary schools	76.8%		88.9	51^st of 653 public elementary schools	92.2%	101	52.3	70.2	57.4	69.2	62.6	47.7	48.9	53.2	73.1	56.3	48.9	48.9	$11,159	$708	$10,451
North Fairview	Public	K-6	1941 NE 39th	Topeka	66617	Shawnee County	Seaman	No	No	No	No	(785) 286-8500	278	21	13.1	37.1%	227 (81.7%)	4 (1.4%)	23 (8.3%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.1%)	78.8	115^th of 656 public elementary schools	82.5%		63	209^th of 653 public elementary schools	68.0%	94	72.3	64.1	66.7	56.4	65.3	48.9	56.4	58.1	61.5	55.9	55.8	55.8	$12,782	$809	$11,973
West Indianola Elementary	Public	K-6	4201 NW Brickyard Rd	Topeka	66618	Shawnee County	Seaman	No	No	No	No	(785) 286-8550	395	27	14.5	28.9%	320 (81.0%)	13 (3.3%)	41 (10.4%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.8%)	70	166^th of 656 public elementary schools	74.7%		71.2	151^st of 653 public elementary schools	76.9%	15	57.4	59.3	51.7	48.4	54.0	55.6	55.9	56.7	64.5	58.3	50.0	50.0	$11,121	$729	$10,392
Logan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1124 NW Lyman Rd	Topeka	66608	Shawnee County	Seaman	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 575-8700	558	33	16.8	66.3%	390 (69.9%)	46 (8.2%)	66 (11.8%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (8.4%)	38.1	434^th of 656 public elementary schools	33.8%		35.6	444^th of 653 public elementary schools	32.0%	10	45.8	36.5	44.4	36.2	40.9	33.9	42.3	40.3	44.8	40.3	30.6	30.6	$18,143	$1,713	$16,431
Quincy Elementary	Public	K-5	1500 NE Quincy St	Topeka	66608	Shawnee County	Topeka Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 235-7420	142	16	9.0	91.5%	59 (41.5%)	13 (9.2%)	52 (36.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (10.6%)	13.6	586^th of 656 public elementary schools	10.7%		9.2	617^th of 653 public elementary schools	5.5%	31	33.3	14.3	26.9		27.6	38.9	14.3	7.7		23.7	23.1	23.1	$23,717	$3,865	$19,851
Jefferson West Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	301 Main Street	Meriden	66512	Jefferson County	Jefferson West	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 484-2455	320	20	16.0	34.4%	278 (86.9%)	2 (0.6%)	21 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.9%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.8%)	74.8	142^nd of 656 public elementary schools	78.4%		85.4	74^th of 653 public elementary schools	88.7%	68	60.8	63.8			62.4	51.0	60.3			56.0			$13,291	$1,251	$12,040
State Street Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	500 NE Sumner St	Topeka	66616	Shawnee County	Topeka Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 235-7280	411	34	11.9	88.8%	132 (32.1%)	23 (5.6%)	194 (47.2%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.2%)	2 (0.5%)	54 (13.1%)	22.5	534^th of 656 public elementary schools	18.6%		23.5	526^th of 653 public elementary schools	19.4%	8	42.3	37.9	33.3		37.3	30.8	19.0	29.3		26.5	25.3	25.3	$17,882	$3,868	$14,014
Meadows Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	201 SW Clay St	Topeka	66606	Shawnee County	Topeka Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(785) 235-7150	0	32	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	24.1	521^st of 656 public elementary schools	20.6%		29.9	479^th of 653 public elementary schools	26.6%	42	33.3	31.8	37.7		34.3	35.9	22.4	31.0		29.7	33.8	33.8	$17,702	$3,846	$13,857
Scott Dual Language Magnet	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	401 SE Market St	Topeka	66607	Shawnee County	Topeka Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(785) 235-7480	402	30	13.2	91.5%	20 (5.0%)	9 (2.2%)	361 (89.8%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.0%)	20.9	543^rd of 656 public elementary schools	17.2%		22.5	532^nd of 653 public elementary schools	18.5%	11	44.7	18.5	39.4		33.1	23.4	11.8	28.4		20.9	35.8	35.8	$16,469	$3,955	$12,514

Frequently Asked Questions about Northern Hills Elementary

Is Northern Hills Elementary a good school?

Northern Hills Elementary ranks 387^th of 656 Kansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Northern Hills Elementary in?

Seaman

What schools do graduates of Northern Hills Elementary attend?

Students who attend Northern Hills Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Seaman Middle School
High : Seaman High

How many students attend Northern Hills Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 408 students attended Northern Hills Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Northern Hills Elementary?

Students at Northern Hills Elementary are 74% White, 10% Hispanic, 6% African American, 6% Two or more races, 1% American Indian, 1% Asian.

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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.