Medicine Lodge Grade School

Medicine Lodge Grade School, a modestly sized primary school in Medicine Lodge, Kansas, overseen by Barber County North, caters to 253 students, covering grades pre-K through 6.

Barber County North comprises 2 schools with combined enrollment of 477 students; Medicine Lodge Grade School is among them.

On the student-mix side, Medicine Lodge Grade School shows that 91% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority; the rest is composed of 5% multiracial. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Medicine Lodge Grade School has 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.5:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.2:1, putting Medicine Lodge Grade School tighter than the state norm the norm. About 53% 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, Medicine Lodge Grade School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 36.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 41.1%.

Zooming out to the county, Barber County reports that median household income runs about $61,926, 27% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. In all, Barber County runs 4 public schools (combined enrollment of about 675 students), of which Medicine Lodge Grade School is one.

The closest other public school is Medicine Lodge Jr/Sr High School, roughly 0.6 miles away. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Medicine Lodge Grade School at 3rd of 7; the average score across the group is 37.3%.

Geographically, the school is in a rural area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 18%: 308 students in 2018 compared to 253 in 2025. Class-load math has tightened: from 16.2:1 in 2018 to 11.5:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, members of the Medicine Lodge Grade School community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.