Best Public Schools in Clay Center, KS

Summary:

The city of Clay Center, Kansas is home to 4 schools serving students from elementary through high school. The data reveals a mix of standout performers and areas for improvement across the district.

Garfield Elementary and Clay Center Community High are the clear standouts, ranking in the top 40% and top 15% of Kansas schools respectively. Garfield Elementary boasts significantly higher proficiency rates in core subjects compared to county and state averages, while Clay Center Community High has shown steady improvement in its statewide ranking over the past few years. In contrast, Clay Center Community Middle lags behind, with proficiency rates well below the county and state.

Spending per student does not necessarily correlate with academic performance, as Lincoln Elementary, the highest-spending school, has lower proficiency rates than the lower-spending Garfield Elementary. Additionally, schools with higher free and reduced lunch rates, such as Lincoln Elementary and Clay Center Community Middle, tend to have lower academic performance, suggesting socioeconomic factors may play a role in student achievement across the Clay County district.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				KAP English Language Arts (2024)								KAP Mathematics (2024)								KAP Science (2024)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	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 10th 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 10th Grade	KAP Mathematics All Grades	KAP Science 5th Grade	KAP Science 8th Grade	KAP Science 11th Grade	KAP Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Garfield Elementary	Public	4-5	815 4th St	Clay Center	67432	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 632-2125	146	12	11.9	42.5%	133 (91.1%)	1 (0.7%)	7 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.7%)	69.7	164^th of 653 public elementary schools	74.9%		57.6	259^th of 660 public elementary schools	60.8%	95		46.7	41.4					44.1		45.3	58.0					51.4	57.1			57.1	$10,202	$1,280	$8,922
Lincoln Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	1020 Grant	Clay Center	67432	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 632-2156	384	29	13.1	46.4%	365 (95.1%)	2 (0.5%)	11 (2.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)								(n/a)	32.6							32.6	56.5							56.5					$12,579	$1,480	$11,099
Clay Center Community High	Public	9-12	1630 Ninth St	Clay Center	67432	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	No	(785) 632-2131	343	23	15.0	38.8%	314 (91.5%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.2%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.5%)	77.5	49^th of 318 public high schools	84.6%		64.3	96^th of 327 public high schools	70.6%	47							38.0	38.0							42.3	42.3			30.4	30.4	$10,264	$809	$9,455
Clay Center Community Middle	Public	6-8	935 Prospect Street	Clay Center	67432	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	No	(785) 632-3232	241	22	10.9	50.2%	212 (88.0%)	3 (1.2%)	15 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.1%)	37.2	224^th of 362 public middle schools	38.1%		50.8	141^st of 362 public middle schools	61.0%	83				21.0	34.5	24.0		26.8				5.3	32.1	17.9		18.9		12.7		12.7	$9,343	$787	$8,556

Cities Near Clay Center

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Wakefield	12.97 mi	2	328^th
Clifton	15.51 mi	2	198^th
Riley	15.78 mi	2	23^rd
Milford	18.02 mi	1	245^th
Miltonvale	18.12 mi	2

See the top KS Kansas cities

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.