Walnut Elem

Walnut Elem is a primary school of average-sized scale in Emporia, Kansas, part of Emporia, hosting 312 students in grades pre-K through 5.

Emporia comprises 8 schools with combined enrollment of 4,261 students; Walnut Elem is among them.

On demographics, Walnut Elem reports that White students make up the majority at 55%. The remainder reads as 36% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, 4% Black. By comparison, Lyon County as a whole is about 72% White, so the school skews visibly less White than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Walnut Elem has 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.8:1. The state averages about 13.2:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 66% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Walnut Elem sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 30.4%; this one delivers 41.4%.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Lyon County put median household income runs about $59,912, 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. Across Lyon County's 14 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,122 students), Walnut Elem is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: W A White Elem, around 0.8 miles off. Within five miles, there are 7 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Walnut Elem at 4th of 9; the average score across the group is 31.4%.

The campus sits in a town-center setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Walnut Elem has remained close to its prior level, going from 306 students in 2018 to 312 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment grew from 23% to 36% over that span. Class-load math has rose: from 12.6:1 in 2018 to 13.8:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, posts here usually surface around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.