Northwest Elem

Set in Dodge City, Kansas, Northwest Elem is a reasonably sized elementary-level community, overseen by Dodge City. It enrolls 380 students across grades K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 313 students per school, that is 21% above typical.

Northwest Elem is one of 11 schools operated by Dodge City, a district that works with 7,268 students overall.

On demographics, Northwest Elem records that Hispanic students make up the majority at 79%. The remainder consists of 18% White. That is visibly more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 59%.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 19 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 20.3:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 13.2:1 average. Roughly 76% of students at Northwest Elem qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

With demographic context factored in, Northwest Elem sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 25.9%; this one delivers 27.5%.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Ford County put median household earnings sit near $70,781, about 21% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 12%. In all, Ford County runs 15 public schools (combined enrollment of about 7,836 students), of which Northwest Elem is one.

Nearest neighbor: Soule Elementary School, around 0.1 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Northwest Elem comes 3rd of 9 in the immediate cluster, above the nearby-schools average of 21.1%.

The campus sits in a town-center setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Northwest Elem's enrollment has contracted 10% since 2018, when it stood at 422 (now 380). Over the same period, the White share edged down from 23% to 18%. Class-load math has widened: from 18.4:1 in 2018 to 20.3:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Northwest Elem community share and discuss sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.