Middle Schools in Wichita

The Wichita school district in Kansas contains 16 middle schools serving grades 6-8. These schools vary significantly in their academic performance, with some standout institutions like Robinson Middle School ranking among the top 25% of middle schools in the state, while others like Wells Alternative Middle School struggle significantly.

The top-performing middle schools, such as Robinson Middle and Allison Traditional Magnet Middle, have proficiency rates that are 2-3 times higher than the lowest-performing schools, like Truesdell Middle, Hamilton Middle, and Mead Middle. This stark performance disparity suggests factors beyond just funding and resources may be contributing to these differences.

Many of the Wichita middle schools serve economically disadvantaged populations, with free and reduced-price lunch rates ranging from around 60% to over 95%. The schools with the highest poverty levels tend to have the lowest test scores, indicating a strong link between socioeconomic status and academic outcomes. Interestingly, the magnet schools in the district, like Mayberry Cultural and Fine Arts Magnet Middle and Allison Traditional Magnet Middle, generally outperform their non-magnet peers, suggesting the magnet program model may be effective in this area.