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Valley Falls Elementary

Q: Is Valley Falls Elementary a good school?

Valley Falls Elementary ranks 395 th of 656 Kansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

395^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 656 Kansas Elementary Schools

Better than 40% of Kansas elementary schools

Summary

Valley Falls Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades PK-8 in Valley Falls, Kansas, with 263 students. The school is part of the Valley Falls school district, which is ranked 224 out of 264 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Valley Falls Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom half of Kansas elementary schools, with significantly below-average performance on state assessments. In 2024-2025, only 36.24% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 44.47%, and only 33.75% were proficient or better in math, compared to the state average of 38.73%. The school's performance has declined over the years, with its ranking dropping from 203 out of 678 schools in 2014-2015 to 395 out of 656 schools in 2024-2025. However, the school's low-income students perform relatively better, ranking in the middle third of Kansas elementary schools.

Compared to nearby schools like North Fairview, Pleasant Ridge Elementary, and McLouth Elementary, Valley Falls Elementary generally underperforms on academic measures, with higher chronic absenteeism rates and a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. Despite spending more per student than some of these nearby schools, Valley Falls Elementary's academic outcomes have not improved, suggesting that higher spending alone does not necessarily translate to better performance.

262

Students ?

11.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,475

Per pupil spending ?

32.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

700 Oak Street
Valley Falls, KS 66088

(785) 945-3221

District: Valley Falls

Students who attend Valley Falls Elementary usually attend:

High:

Valley Falls High

Racial breakdown:

White:

88.5%

Hispanic:

6.1%

Two or more races:

4.6%

See top rated Kansas elementary schools

Compare Valley Falls Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 19th percentile in 2021 → 40th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 40th (2025) from a 19th-percentile low (2021)

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Kansas average (34% vs 42% meeting standards)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg32%

Kansas avg42%

Elementary school

395^th of 656

Kansas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 40%▼ down 30 pts since 2015

From top 30% (2015) to bottom 40% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Kansas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

295^th of 363

Kansas public middle schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 58 pts since 2015

From top 24% (2015) to bottom 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Kansas Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

224^th of 264Valley Falls 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	41.8	395 of 656	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.1	441 of 653	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.8	454 of 660	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.3	512 of 668	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.4	541 of 670	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.0	533 of 667	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.1	415 of 656	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	44.6	383 of 659	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	44.1	390 of 656	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	65.7	203 of 678	70.1%	★★★★☆
2013	79.2	70 of 668	89.5%	★★★★☆
2012	79.0	37 of 660	94.4%	★★★★★
2011	75.0	101 of 631	84.0%	★★★★☆
2010	77.4	85 of 630	86.5%	★★★★☆
2009	74.6	111 of 621	82.1%	★★★★☆
2008	76.5	99 of 614	83.9%	★★★★☆
2007	65.7	231 of 600	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2006	69.8	171 of 585	70.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2021	25.0	472 of 591	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.0	472 of 591	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.9	345 of 574	39.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2024	56.5	219 of 546	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.9	258 of 541	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.2	225 of 512	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.1	259 of 494	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.1	465 of 509	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	37.9	363 of 512	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2021	27.4	473 of 605	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.6	453 of 586	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.4	392 of 575	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	33.9	413 of 576	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.2	440 of 579	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.8	456 of 584	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.4	513 of 596	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.4	529 of 587	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.8	545 of 592	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	26.9	471 of 574	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	25.0	295 of 363	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.8	295 of 362	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.8	265 of 362	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.8	299 of 368	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.2	278 of 367	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	58.2	120 of 368	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.1	136 of 350	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	61.9	101 of 358	71.8%	★★★★☆
2016	76.8	47 of 343	86.3%	★★★★☆
2015	66.5	87 of 368	76.4%	★★★★☆
2013	82.2	11 of 355	96.9%	★★★★★
2012	76.3	36 of 342	89.5%	★★★★☆
2011	82.4	12 of 320	96.3%	★★★★★
2010	81.7	12 of 316	96.2%	★★★★★
2009	66.0	95 of 307	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	71.2	67 of 296	77.4%	★★★★☆
2007	70.9	56 of 286	80.4%	★★★★☆
2006	46.6	156 of 277	43.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2021	30.3	232 of 313	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	56.9	99 of 294	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.7	134 of 275	51.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	10.9	273 of 285	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.7	290 of 296	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	42.6	160 of 300	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.2	213 of 270	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	6.3	275 of 275	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	68.9	46 of 270	83.0%	★★★★☆
2018	71.3	35 of 255	86.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2021	28.5	239 of 308	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	53.8	114 of 301	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.8	71 of 280	74.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	20.0	309 of 349	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.6	304 of 347	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.3	276 of 349	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.8	332 of 349	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.8	319 of 349	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	51.5	146 of 344	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.3	145 of 333	56.5%	★★★☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)60th percentile+27 vs school

White (2025)28th percentile-11 vs school

Male (2021)22nd percentile+3 vs school

Female (2021)20th percentile~ school

Middle school

Female (2021)26th percentile~ school

Male (2021)22nd percentile~ school

White (2025)11th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)4th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Kansas (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts36%-8 vs state

Mathematics34%-5 vs state

Science31%-10 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, May 18, 2026

Our family’s experience with USD 338 has been extremely disappointing and ultimately led to us removing our children from the district. While small schools can offer strong community support, that was unfortunately not our experience.

We encountered ongoing concerns involving bullying, inconsistent discipline and consequences, favoritism toward certain students and families, and a general lack of accountability when concerns were brought forward. Repeated reports regarding student behavior and peer conflict were either minimized or not handled consistently, which created an increasingly hostile environment for our children.

One of our biggest concerns involved Section 504 compliance and student support services. We experienced repeated issues involving lack of classroom support, failure to consistently implement accommodations, poor communication, and concerns regarding how disability-related needs were addressed. Families should never have to fight continuously to ensure accommodations are followed appropriately.

We also felt there was a significant lack of transparency and professionalism from portions of district leadership and staff. Rather than working collaboratively with families who raised concerns, we often felt dismissed, isolated, or treated differently for advocating for our children.

In our opinion, the district needs substantial improvement in:

bullying prevention and enforcement,
consistency in student discipline,
disability accommodation compliance,
communication with families,
staff professionalism,
and creating an inclusive environment where all students are treated fairly regardless of family background or community status.

We understand every family’s experience may differ, but ours resulted in filing formal complaints and ultimately leaving the district entirely because we no longer felt our children were being adequately supported emotionally or academically.

We sincerely hope the district takes concerns from families more seriously moving forward and focuses on rebuilding trust, accountability, and student support systems. Close Quote

Schools Near Valley Falls 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 7th Grade	KAP English Language Arts 8th 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 7th Grade	KAP Mathematics 8th Grade	KAP Mathematics All Grades	KAP Science 5th Grade	KAP Science 8th Grade	KAP Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Valley Falls Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	700 Oak Street	Valley Falls	66088	Jefferson County	Valley Falls	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 945-3221	262	23	11.5	32.8%	232 (88.5%)	1 (0.4%)	16 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.6%)	41.8	395^th of 656 public elementary schools	39.8%		36.1	441^st of 653 public elementary schools	32.5%	46	70.8	52.2	20.8	25.0	18.5	36.7	36.2	45.8	52.2	33.3	34.4	11.1	30.0	33.8	29.2	33.3	31.5	$15,475	$1,544	$13,931
Jefferson County North Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	100 Charger Lane	Nortonville	66060	Jefferson County	Jefferson County North	No	No	No	Yes	(913) 886-3870	338	25	13.3	38.2%	325 (96.2%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.7%)	48.5	344^th of 656 public elementary schools	47.6%		50.4	319^th of 653 public elementary schools	51.1%	25	32.6	51.7	52.9	44.1	22.6	29.4	39.6	34.9	55.2	35.3	38.2	9.7	33.3	34.4	52.9	35.3	45.9	$12,915	$439	$12,477
Oskaloosa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	404 Park Street	Oskaloosa	66066	Jefferson County	Oskaloosa Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 863-2254	255	27	9.3	54.5%	230 (90.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.5%)	44.4	370^th of 656 public elementary schools	43.6%		45.9	363^rd of 653 public elementary schools	44.4%	7	36.4	44.4	62.2	48.4			47.5	22.7	25.9	19.4	61.3			31.2	51.4		51.4	$17,758	$2,494	$15,264
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
Atchison County Community Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	607 8th Street	Effingham	66023	Atchison County	Atchison County Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(913) 833-4420	244	21	11.5	48.0%	225 (92.2%)	1 (0.4%)	7 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.3%)	44	375^th of 656 public elementary schools	42.8%		60.5	240^th of 653 public elementary schools	63.2%	135	42.4	50.0	50.0	43.8			46.6	39.4	44.1	20.6	21.9			31.6	61.8		61.8	$12,706	$1,489	$11,217
Royal Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1st and Highland	Hoyt	66440	Jackson County	Royal Valley	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 986-6286	369	29	12.6	54.5%	174 (47.2%)	7 (1.9%)	36 (9.8%)	0 (0.0%)	108 (29.3%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (11.9%)	34.8	455^th of 656 public elementary schools	30.6%		40.1	415^th of 653 public elementary schools	36.4%	40	43.5	41.9					42.7	35.5	33.9					34.7				$12,564	$1,146	$11,419
McLouth Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	217 Summit Street	Mc Louth	66054	Jefferson County	McLouth	No	No	No	Yes	(913) 796-6152	221	20	11.1	54.8%	188 (85.1%)	3 (1.4%)	14 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (6.3%)	56.2	286^th of 656 public elementary schools	56.4%		46.1	360^th of 653 public elementary schools	44.9%	74	61.5	56.0	33.3				49.1	51.3	60.0	35.7				47.2	45.2		45.2	$13,988	$1,735	$12,253
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
Holton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	812 W. 5th. St.	Holton	66436	Jackson County	Holton	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 364-3251	511	38	13.4	47.7%	385 (75.3%)	3 (0.6%)	86 (16.8%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.3%)	48.4	348^th of 656 public elementary schools	47.0%		39.3	422^nd of 653 public elementary schools	35.4%	74	54.2	54.7	44.4				51.3	44.6	33.8	41.3				40.1	41.3		41.3	$13,332	$1,648	$11,684
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Valley Falls Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Valley Falls Elementary?

Students at Valley Falls Elementary are 89% White, 6% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Valley Falls Elementary attend?

Students who attend Valley Falls Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Valley Falls High

How many students attend Valley Falls Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 262 students attended Valley Falls Elementary.

What district is Valley Falls Elementary in?

Valley Falls

Is Valley Falls Elementary a good school?

Valley Falls Elementary ranks 395^th of 656 Kansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Valley Falls Elementary!

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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.