Wells Alternative Middle School

As a tiny 6-8 campus in Wichita, Kansas, Wells Alternative Middle School teaches 36 students from grades 6 through 8, operated by Wichita. Enrollment runs roughly 91% below the state mean of about 402.

Within Wichita, which oversees 87 schools and 47,545 students, Wells Alternative Middle School is one campus in the system.

On demographics, Wells Alternative Middle School lists that 36% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. The remainder reads as 28% Black, 17% Hispanic, 17% multiracial, 3% Native American. That is meaningfully less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 69%.

On the resource side, The school currently runs with 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 3.6:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 12.7:1 average. Around 92% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is above Sedgwick County's rate of about 63%.

After controlling for student poverty, On a poverty-adjusted basis, Wells Alternative Middle School sits in the bottom 10% statewide. Predicted proficiency from the FRL regression is roughly 18.3%; actual is 0.0%, a gap of -18.3 points.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Sedgwick County put median household earnings sit near $69,365, roughly 32% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Sedgwick County runs 160 public schools (combined enrollment of about 84,569 students), of which Wells Alternative Middle School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Anderson Elem, around 0.6 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Wells Alternative Middle School at 7th of 7; the average score across the group is 15.8%.

The school occupies a downtown site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 5%: 38 students in 2018 compared to 36 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 16% to 28% across the same window.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.