Enrollment
34
High
DISTRICT 42 · STATE 410
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WESTERN PLAINS·NCES 200002000498
Western Plains High
100 School St., Ransom, KS 67572 · (785) 731-2352 · Ness County
GRADES 09–12HIGH43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL34 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 35% of Kansas public high schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Kansas public high schools
Student : Teacher
8.1:1
4 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 7.8:1 · STATE 11.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
53%
18 students
DISTRICT 67% · STATE 51%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 7 | 21% |
| Grade 10 | 14 | 41% |
| Grade 11 | 10 | 29% |
| Grade 12 | 3 | 9% |
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Based on grade levels within Western Plains. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
KAP 2024-25 . % Meeting + ExceedingEnglish Language Arts
18.2%
KS avg 44.5%
Math
38.5%
KS avg 38.8%
What this means: On the KAP, Kansas's statewide test, about 18 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 39 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Kansas schools, those numbers are about 45 and 39.
KAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 18.2% | 38.5% |
| 2023-24 | N/A | 36.4% |
% Meeting + Exceeding, all students and all tested grades. Kansas set new KAP cut scores in spring 2025, so results from 2023-24 and earlier are not comparable with later years.
Source: KAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
23.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.9%
based on KS schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-13.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 23% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 37% typical for Kansas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Kansas's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Where Western Plains High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Kansas |
|---|---|---|
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 34 | #320 of 332 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
34
+2 (+6%) vs 2020
-29% since 2010-11, when it was 48
Student : Teacher
8.1:1
was 10.7:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 34 | 4.2 | 8.1:1 | 53% (18) |
| 2023-24 | 31 | 2.8 | 11.1:1 | 65% (20) |
| 2022-23 | 20 | 3 | 6.7:1 | 55% (11) |
| 2020-21 | 32 | 3 | 10.7:1 | 63% (20) |
| 2017-18 | 51 | 4.8 | 10.6:1 | 76% (39) |
| 2015-16 | 38 | 5 | 7.6:1 | 66% (25) |
| 2010-11 | 48 | 8 | 6.0:1 | 52% (25) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Western Plains High.
Since 2017-18: students down 33% (51 to 34); teachers down 12% (4.8 to 4.2).
About Western Plains High
Western Plains High, a very small high school, is located in Ransom, Kansas. The school offers grades 9 through 12 and enrolls 34 students. On average, high schools in Kansas enroll around 410, and this school is 92% below that mark.
Western Plains has 127 students spread across 3 schools.
More than half of the students at Western Plains High are White (59%). Next come 35% Hispanic and 6% Native American. That compares with about 81% White among all Ness County residents.
Classroom staffing at Western Plains High totals 4.2 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 8.1:1. The average for high schools in Kansas is 11.9:1, so this school has fewer students per teacher. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at Western Plains High is about 53%.
Western Plains High earns a C+ on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 35% of Kansas public high schools.
In Kansas, Western Plains High is in the middle band of BeatsExpectations: 23.3% actual against a predicted 36.9%.
For Ness County, Census Bureau data show the median household earns about $68,616 a year, 25% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Ness County number 5, with about 404 students.
Western Plains North Elem is the nearest public school to Western Plains High, less than a tenth of a mile away. Among its closest neighbors with test data, Western Plains High is 9th of 9 on proficiency.
By NCES locale, the school is Rural: Remote, or in rural territory far from an urban area.
Enrollment rose by 6% across 4 years, from 32 in 2020-21 to 34 in 2024-25. The student-to-teacher ratio went down from 10.7:1 to 8.1:1.
Use the discussion section to ask about homework, tutoring, and testing dates at Western Plains High. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Ness County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
2,653
Census ACS
Median income
$68,616
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
25%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
5
404 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Western Plains
- Western Plains North ElemElementary · 62 students
- Western Plains South Elem/Jr HighElementary · 31 students
Nearby schools
- Western Plains North Elem0.0 mi · 62
- Ness City Elem12.9 mi · 155
- Ness City High13.0 mi · 122
- Western Plains South Elem/Jr High18.8 mi · 31
- Trego Community High26.8 mi · 113
- Trego Grade School27.1 mi · 285
Frequently asked questions
About Western Plains HighWhat is the total enrollment at Western Plains High?
Western Plains High enrolls approximately 34 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Western Plains High serve?
Western Plains High serves grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Western Plains High have?
Western Plains High employs 4 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 8.1:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Western Plains High?
At Western Plains High, the student body is approximately 59% White, 35% Hispanic.
What district is Western Plains High in?
Western Plains High is part of Western Plains.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.