Graduation Rate
Salina's Graduation Rate Fell 7.8 Points From 2020 to 2025
Salina USD 305's graduation rate fell from 91.4% in 2020 to 83.6% in 2025, the largest decline in a 66-district size-filtered peer set.
Kansas
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Kansas, grounded in Kansas Department of Education data.
Stacey Parks Takes Over Peabody-Burns as Enrollment Sits 25% Below Its 2014-15 Level
Stacey Parks became superintendent of Peabody-Burns after leading a special education cooperative. The district's published enrollment is down 25% from 2014-15.
Eric Hoops Arrives at Waconda, Where Students Have Outscored Kansas Every Tested Year
Waconda's new superintendent starts in a district whose students have topped the Kansas assessment in every subject on record. His first priority is relationships.
Shay Demlow Wants Eureka's Size to Be Its Strength
Eureka USD 389's new superintendent brings a special education career to a 523-student district, and says small-town scale is an advantage worth protecting.
Kansas's Lowest-Rate District Was a Statewide Online-School Host
Elk Valley posted Kansas's lowest 2025 graduation rate among 136 districts with at least 40 enrolled twelfth-graders; West Elk ranked third.
More Coverage
Graduation Rate
Kansas's 2020 Graduation Increase Was Followed by a 0.2-Point Dip
Kansas's graduation rate rose 0.8 point in 2020 and slipped 0.2 point in 2021; neither transition was the largest annual move in the 2016-2025 panel.
Graduation Rate
Kansas's Foster-Care Graduation Rate Rose 12.3 Points but Still Trailed the State
Kansas's foster-care graduation rate reached 71.6% in 2025, up 12.3 points since reporting began in 2022 but still 18.9 points below the state rate.
Personnel
Shawn Poyser Moves From Interim to Permanent Superintendent in Tonganoxie
As Dr. Shawn Poyser begins the permanent role, he points to relationships, budget discipline, and the district's community reputation.
Personnel
Paige Prouty Centers Relationships as She Steps Up at West Franklin
West Franklin's incoming MS/HS principal says literacy work, experienced staff, community traditions, and expanded learning pathways will shape the next chapter.
Personnel
Cody Rierson Wants McPherson Students to See Their Superintendent in the Building
McPherson's incoming superintendent says visibility, trust, and shared leadership will matter as the district starts a new chapter during bond construction.
Consolidation
Retraction: Burrton, Cedar Vale, Lewis and Triplains Are Open and Enrolling Students
Retraction: we reported that four Kansas school districts closed this year. Burrton, Cedar Vale, Lewis and Triplains are all open. We withdraw the article.
Demographics
Retraction: Our Statewide Race and Ethnicity Figures for Kansas Schools Were Not Supported by the Data
Retraction: our report that white students had fallen to 60% of Kansas enrollment rested on incomplete district counts. We withdraw the article in full.
Enrollment
Kansas Lost 16,000 Students to COVID. Then It Lost 5,000 More.
Five years after COVID emptied Kansas classrooms, the state has not recovered a student. Nearly six in 10 districts sit below their COVID trough.
Demographics
Where 87% of Students Are Hispanic: Inside Kansas's Meatpacking Corridor
Three southwest Kansas districts built around beef plants have become among the most Hispanic school systems in the state, reshaping how Kansas funds and staffs its schools.
Special Populations
Retraction: Our Statewide Special Education Rate for Kansas Was Not Supported by the Data
Retraction: our report that one in seven Kansas students receives special education services was built from incomplete district counts. We withdraw the article in full.
