Washington Elem

Located at 1100 N Washington, in Wellington, Kansas, Washington Elem is a rural-scale elementary school that instructs 86 students (grades K through 5), operated by Wellington. That puts it 73% smaller than the typical public school in Kansas, which averages around 313 students.

Within Wellington, which oversees 7 schools and 1,439 students, Washington Elem is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Washington Elem logs that 72% of the student body identifies as White; the rest breaks down as 17% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, 2% Black. By comparison, Sumner County as a whole is about 90% White, so the school skews noticeably less White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, Washington Elem lists 11 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 8.0:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.2:1, putting Washington Elem tighter than the state norm the norm. About 63% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Sumner County (around 53%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Washington Elem ranks in the top 10% of Kansas public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 32.1%; Washington Elem posts 49.1%, +16.9 points above that line.

In the broader community, census data for Sumner County shows median household earnings sit near $63,951, 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. Across Sumner County's 23 public schools (combined enrollment of about 3,436 students), Washington Elem is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Wellington Middle School, around 0.5 miles off. Within five miles, there are 6 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Washington Elem at 1st of 8; the average score across the group is 29.3%.

The school occupies a town-based site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Washington Elem has decreased 20%, going from 108 students in 2018 to 86 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 81% to 72% across the same window. Class-load math has narrowed: from 11.6:1 in 2018 to 8.0:1 in 2025.

On this page, posts here usually surface around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.