Colby Middle School

Colby Middle School, an intimate middle-grades school in Colby, Kansas, run under Colby Public Schools, instructs 293 students, covering grades 5 through 8. That puts it 27% smaller than the typical public school in Kansas, which averages around 402 students.

Across the 3 schools in Colby Public Schools (958 students total), Colby Middle School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Colby Middle School lists that the largest single group is White, at 78% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school shows 18% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. That is considerably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 90%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school lists 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 13.6:1. The state averages around 12.7:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 35% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Colby Middle School is in the bottom 10% of Kansas public schools. The BeatsExpectations model predicts schools with this FRL share to land around 45.4%; Colby Middle School posts 27.9%, -17.5 points below that line.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Thomas County) logs that the typical household earns roughly $71,325 per year, about 35% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 4%. Across Thomas County's 7 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,169 students), Colby Middle School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Colby Elem, roughly 0.1 miles away. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Colby Middle School ranks 4th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 28.4%.

The school occupies a small-town site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked up 8%: 271 students in 2018 compared to 293 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 87% to 78% across the same window. Class-load math has pulled in: from 16.7:1 in 2018 to 13.6:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.