Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Elem

Located at 1401 Hall, in Hays, Kansas, Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Elem is a reasonably sized elementary-level community that enrolls 371 students (grades K through 5), one of the schools within Hays.

Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Elem is one of 7 schools operated by Hays, a district that hosts 3,434 students overall.

Demographically, Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Elem shows that White students make up the majority at 78%. The remainder is composed of 9% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 5% multiracial, 3% Black. That is visibly less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 89%.

In terms of school funding signals, The school employs 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.1:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.2:1, putting Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Elem higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 40% of students at Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Elem qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

After controlling for student poverty, Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Elem is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 43.2%; this one delivers 69.5%, a residual of +26.3 points.

In the area at large, census data for Ellis County shows median household income runs about $63,084, about 39% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. In all, Ellis County runs 11 public schools (combined enrollment of about 4,040 students), of which Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Elem is one.

Lincoln Elem is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 6 other public schools cluster around Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Elem. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Elem ranks 1st on composite proficiency, above the local average of 42.7%.

Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Elem operates from a small-town location.

Five-year trend. Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Elem's enrollment has shrank 5% since 2018, when it stood at 390 (now 371). White enrollment moved from 93% to 78% across the same window. Class-load math has fell: from 18.5:1 in 2018 to 14.1:1 in 2025.

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