Enrollment
31
Elementary
DISTRICT 47 · STATE 313
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WESTERN PLAINS·NCES 200002000501
Western Plains South Elem/Jr High
310 W. Burgess, Bazine, KS 67516 · (785) 398-2535 · Ness County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL31 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 28% of Kansas public elementary schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C+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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
4.4:1
7 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 7.7:1 · STATE 13.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
77%
24 students
DISTRICT 67% · STATE 51%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 7 | 23% |
| Kindergarten | 3 | 10% |
| Grade 1 | 2 | 6% |
| Grade 2 | 2 | 6% |
| Grade 3 | 2 | 6% |
| Grade 4 | 5 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 1 | 3% |
| Grade 6 | 1 | 3% |
| Grade 7 | 4 | 13% |
| Grade 8 | 4 | 13% |
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
Students here typically continue to
Western Plains South Elem/Jr High→Western Plains High
Based on grade levels within Western Plains. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at Western Plains South Elem/Jr High.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
KAP 2024-25 . % Meeting + ExceedingEnglish Language Arts
43.8%
KS avg 44.5%
Math
25.0%
KS avg 38.8%
What this means: On the KAP, Kansas's statewide test, about 44 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 25 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 | 43.8% | 25.0% |
| 2023-24 | 17.4% | 21.7% |
% 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
27.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
25.1%
based on KS schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 27% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 25% 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 South Elem/Jr High ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Kansas |
|---|---|---|
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 31 | #711 of 714 |
Ranked against other public elementary 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
31
-5 (-14%) vs 2020
-64% since 2010-11, when it was 86
Student : Teacher
4.4:1
was 6.0:1
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 | 31 | 7.1 | 4.4:1 | 77% (24) |
| 2023-24 | 38 | 8.1 | 4.7:1 | 84% (32) |
| 2022-23 | 44 | 6.7 | 6.6:1 | 70% (31) |
| 2020-21 | 36 | 6 | 6.0:1 | 81% (29) |
| 2017-18 | 27 | 5.6 | 4.8:1 | 52% (14) |
| 2015-16 | 46 | 7 | 6.6:1 | 83% (38) |
| 2010-11 | 86 | 9 | 9.6:1 | 69% (59) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Western Plains South Elem/Jr High.
Since 2017-18: students up 15% (27 to 31); teachers up 27% (5.6 to 7.1).
About Western Plains South Elem/Jr High
A small elementary school in Bazine, Kansas, Western Plains South Elem/Jr High is part of Western Plains. The student body numbers 31 students, from pre-K through 8. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Kansas is about 313, so this school runs 90% smaller than that.
Western Plains South Elem/Jr High is part of Western Plains, where 3 schools serve 127 students.
By race and ethnicity, Western Plains South Elem/Jr High is 68% Hispanic. The rest of enrollment is 32% White. Census estimates put the Hispanic share of Ness County's population at about 15%.
The school has about 4.4 students per teacher and 7.1 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average ratio among elementary schools in Kansas is 13.2:1, higher than at this school. About 77% of enrolled students meet the income rules for free or reduced-price lunch. That is 29 points above the 48% average for public schools in Ness County.
Western Plains South Elem/Jr High is graded C by allk12, scoring above 28% of Kansas public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Based on student poverty, the model expects 25.1% at Western Plains South Elem/Jr High; the school's average proficiency rate on state tests is 27.0%.
Census Bureau estimates for Ness County show that median household income is about $68,616, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 25%, and about 8% of people live in poverty. A total of 5 public schools operate in Ness County, serving about 404 students.
The shortest distance from Western Plains South Elem/Jr High to another public school is about 11.0 miles, to Ness City High. Among 9 nearby schools that report test results, Western Plains South Elem/Jr High ranks 6th on proficiency.
Western Plains South Elem/Jr High falls in the Rural: Remote locale category, used for schools in rural territory far from an urban area.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, the student count declined from 36 to 31. There were fewer students per teacher in 2024-25 (4.4:1) than in 2020-21 (6.0:1).
Conversations here can range across sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
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 HighHigh · 34 students
Nearby schools
- Ness City High11.0 mi · 122
- Ness City Elem11.2 mi · 155
- Western Plains High18.8 mi · 34
- Western Plains North Elem18.8 mi · 62
- La Crosse Elementary21.5 mi · 125
- La Crosse High21.8 mi · 87
Frequently asked questions
About Western Plains South Elem/Jr HighHow many students attend Western Plains South Elem/Jr High?
Western Plains South Elem/Jr High enrolls approximately 31 students in grades PK-08.
What age range does Western Plains South Elem/Jr High serve?
Western Plains South Elem/Jr High serves students from grade PK through grade 08.
How many teachers does Western Plains South Elem/Jr High have?
Western Plains South Elem/Jr High employs 7 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 4.4:1.
How diverse is Western Plains South Elem/Jr High?
Western Plains South Elem/Jr High reports a student body of 32% White, 68% Hispanic.
What district is Western Plains South Elem/Jr High in?
Western Plains South Elem/Jr High is part of Western Plains.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.