A+

Waconda Unified School District 272

Public school districtGrades PK–12Regional · 17 towns

Serves Ross Township, Downs, Glen Elder Township, Glen Elder, Pittsburg Township, Cawker Township, Cawker City, Tipton, Turkey Creek Township, Custer Township, Bethany Township, Corinth Township, Lincoln Township, Walnut Creek Township, Carr Creek Township, Solomon Rapids Township and Bloom Township, and parts of Webster Township and Delhi Township.

Students

336

Schools

Spent per student

$17,141

KS $14,966

Students per teacher

11:1

Free or reduced lunch

50%

The gist

What stands out about Waconda Unified School District 272

School Grade A+: better than 96% of Kansas districts
Math proficiency 19 pts above the state
Reading / language arts 17 pts above the state
Graduation rate (4-year) 13 pts below the state
Spends 15% more per student than the KS average
11 students per teacher
Enrollment up 5% since 2020

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Morgan Township.

PK–4Colby ElemColby Public Schools Unified School District 315

5–8Colby Middle SchoolColby Public Schools Unified School District 315

9–12Colby Senior HighColby Public Schools Unified School District 315

Test scores vs. KS

2020–21

Math proficiency47%

State average 27.9%

Reading / language arts52%

State average 35.5%

Graduation rate (4-year)75%

State average 88% · small group: the state reports 50–100%

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024

$17,141 per student · 15% above KS

Spending

Classroom instruction 69%Support & administration 26%Other 5%

Paid for by

Local (mostly property tax) 26%State 45%Federal 29%

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time

320’20

338’21

342’22

327’23

336’24

Up 5% since 2020.

Students

White 94%Hispanic 3%Black 2%American Indian/Alaska Native 1%Two or more races <1%

Schools in the district

3 public schools.

Lakeside Elementary

Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Cawker City

163 students14:1

Tipton Community School

Elementary · Grades K–8 · Tipton

A+

46 students12:1

Lakeside Junior/Senior High School

High · Grades 6–12 · Downs

B−

127 students9:1

Towns served

Ross Township 777Downs 749Glen Elder Township 584Glen Elder 476Pittsburg Township 454Cawker Township 393Cawker City 352Tipton 241Turkey Creek Township 203Custer Township 101Bethany Township 92 Corinth Township 89 Lincoln Township 83 Walnut Creek Township 75 Carr Creek Township 62 Solomon Rapids Township 29 Bloom Township 17

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

Osborne County Unified School District 392Garfield Township, Hancock Township, Jackson Township

$15,953per student

Beloit Unified School District 273Athens Township, Beloit Township, Blue Hill Township

$19,896per student

Rock Hills Unified School District 107Athens Township, Erving Township, Odessa Township

$17,286per student

Smith Center Unified School District 237Crystal Plains Township, Garfield Township, Oak Township

$15,327per student

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES directory and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: EDFacts via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. Neighbor ratings are opinions.