Nickerson Elem

Set in Nickerson, Kansas, Nickerson Elem is an intimate elementary-level community, one of the schools within Nickerson. It instructs 183 students across grades pre-K through 6. By comparison, Kansas's public schools average about 313 students each, so Nickerson Elem sits 42% smaller than that benchmark.

Nickerson Elem is one of 5 schools operated by Nickerson, a district that instructs 1,011 students overall.

Demographically, Nickerson Elem logs that nearly all students (87%) are White. Beyond that, the school logs 7% multiracial, 4% Hispanic. That composition is broadly in line with Reno County as a whole.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Nickerson Elem has 18 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 10.1:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.2:1, putting Nickerson Elem tighter than the state norm the norm. About 59% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

With demographic context factored in, Nickerson 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 33.9%; this one delivers 60.9%, a residual of +27.0 points.

In the surrounding community, Reno County reports that median household earnings sit near $60,645, roughly 20% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. Across Reno County's 33 public schools (combined enrollment of about 8,909 students), Nickerson Elem is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Nickerson High, roughly 0.6 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. On composite proficiency, Nickerson Elem comes 2nd of 8 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 36.1%.

The campus sits in a low-density setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Nickerson Elem has fell 39%, going from 301 students in 2018 to 183 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share fell from 93% to 87%. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 15.7:1 in 2018 to 10.1:1 today.

Inside the community feed, the feed for Nickerson Elem typically covers sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.