Best Public Schools in Zip Code 66226

ZIP code 66226 has six De Soto schools: four elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. In 2025–26, every school’s all-grades ELA, math and science proficiency rates were above the corresponding Kansas rates, though results vary considerably across the group. The most important takeaway is that all six are above state rates, but the local gap between the highest- and lowest-scoring schools reaches 37 points in science.

Prairie Ridge Elementary School leads the group in all-grades ELA, math and science, with rates of 74%, 69% and 80%; its science rate is 42 points above state. Mill Valley High School is lowest among the six in each subject, at 56%, 56% and 43%, but remains above state by 10, 15 and 5 points, respectively. Monticello Trails Middle School stands out among the secondary schools, scoring 65% in ELA, 66% in math and 64% in science. SchoolDigger ranks it 16th of 368 Kansas middle schools; Prairie Ridge ranks 23rd of 657 elementary schools. Grade-level results can shift the comparison: Clear Creek Elementary leads the elementary schools in grade 5 ELA and math, while grade 5 math ranges from 78% there to 52% at Riverview Elementary. All-grades comparisons span different grade levels, so grade-matched results are more useful for comparing schools serving the same grades.

Recent changes are mixed rather than uniform. The six-school average rose by about 1 point in ELA and less than 1 point in math from 2024–25, while state averages rose by 1 and 2 points; the average lead over state narrowed. Among the five schools with comparable science results, the average rose by 7 points as the state rate fell by 3. Belmont Elementary School made the clearest across-subject gains, improving by 7 points in ELA, 7 in math and 11 in science. Context measures do not show a simple score pattern: elementary student-teacher ratios range from 12.1 to 13.1, and lunch rates from 7% at Prairie Ridge to 23% at Belmont. Absenteeism is below the 18% state rate at all six schools, ranging from 3% at Clear Creek to 9% at Monticello Trails.