Oaklawn Elem

Oaklawn Elem, an intimate primary school in Wichita, Kansas, overseen by Derby, caters to 250 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. That puts it 20% leaner than the typical public school in Kansas, which averages around 313 students.

Derby comprises 13 schools with combined enrollment of 7,416 students; Oaklawn Elem is among them.

On demographics, Oaklawn Elem lists that the largest single group is White at 45%, but no single group is in the majority. Other groups include 40% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, 5% Black, 2% Asian. That is meaningfully less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 69%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Oaklawn Elem has 28 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 8.9:1. The state averages around 13.2:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 88% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is above Sedgwick County's rate of about 63%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Oaklawn Elem performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 20.2%, the actual is 25.9%, a residual of +5.7 points.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Sedgwick County) logs that median household income runs about $69,365, 32% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. In all, Sedgwick County runs 160 public schools (combined enrollment of about 84,569 students), of which Oaklawn Elem is one.

The closest other public school is Paul B Cooper Elem, roughly 0.6 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Oaklawn Elem ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 23.4%.

The campus sits in a bedroom-community setting.

Five-year trend. Oaklawn Elem's enrollment has ticked down 17% since 2018, when it stood at 301 (now 250). Hispanic enrollment moved from 34% to 40% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 13.1:1 in 2018 to 8.9:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.