18 Min Read
May 22, 2024
By
Samiyah Para-Cremer Moore, M.Sc., Kaci Cink, M.P.H.,Ivan Williams, M.B.A.,
Stewart Cole,Daniel Lopez-Hernandez,
Sheena L. Schmidt , M.P.P., Wen-Chieh Lin, Ph.D.
Text for each poster is below. Select a link in the Table of Contents below to go directly to each item.
Percent of Students by English Language Learner (ELL) designation by Unified School District (USD) in Kansas, 2022−2023.
This map of Kansas unified school district regions is color-coded by percent of English Language Learner (ELL) students enrolled in the district. Higher percentages of ELL students were found in southeast Kansas school districts. In other regions, higher percentages of ELL students were found in school districts in Wichita (USD 259), Arkansas City (USD 470), Emporia (USD 253) and Kansas City (USD 500). In Kansas overall, 9.2 percent of students are ELL students.
Note: Unified School Districts are public school districts.
Source: Kansas Health Institute analysis of Kansas State Department of Education, Kansas Building Report Card, 2022-2023.
Limited English proficiency can be a barrier to completing high school graduation requirements, attending college, obtaining employment, accessing health care services and understanding health information. Federal law requires that schools provide additional support to enrolled English Language Learners and evaluate progress toward English proficiency.
Sources: U.S. Department of Justice; Healthy People 2030; Migration Policy Institute.
Children in poverty in Kansas by type of household.
Note: Number of own children living in families earning less than 100 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL; $23,030 for a family of three in 2022) = 87,880 children or 13.3% of all children in Kansas.
Source: Kansas Health Institute analysis of U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2022) 1-year Estimates Table B05010.
Single parents are more likely to live in poverty when compared to cohabiting couples, and single mothers are much more likely to experience poverty when compared to single fathers. Single parents, more so than partnered parents, experience structural and economic barriers as well as stigma that can lead to inadequate resources and employment opportunities. Early childhood is a critical developmental period. Children born into poverty are less likely to show kindergarten readiness than their peers and can encounter more challenges to their physical, behavioral and emotional health.
Source: The Annie E. Casey Foundation, County Health Rankings, Stokes et al. (2021) in American Heart Journal Plus, Roos, et al. (2019) in Pediatrics.
Percent of Kansas students in the 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grades that felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that they stopped doing some usual activities during the past 12 months.
Percent of students responding yes to question: During the past 12 months, did you ever feel so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that you stopped doing some usual activities?
Note: Response rates for this question are lower in 2023 and 2024 data years, with 25,992 and 27,907 student respondents. Denominators for 2020‒2022 data years ranged from 52,970 to 59,151 respondents.
Source: Kansas Communities That Care Student Survey, 2020‒2024.
When children feel persistent sadness and hopelessness, they may be diagnosed with depression. Extreme depression can lead a child to think about suicide or plan for suicide. For youth age 10-24 years, suicide is among the leading causes of death. Untreated, poor mental health can make it difficult to concentrate, limit academic performance and can lead to dropping out of school.
Source: Centers for Disease and Prevention; Suicide Prevention Resource Center.
If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
Percentage of Kansas 7th−12th grade students who dropped out (exited school and did not re-enroll in a single-year period).
Note: The race and ethnicity categories reported above are mutually exclusive. Dropout rate calculates the number of 7th–12th grade students who exited school between Oct. 1, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2023, and who did not re-enroll by Sept. 30, 2023. Dropout rate includes those who discontinued schooling, moved within the United States and it is unknown if they continued schooling, transferred to a GED-completion program or transferred to a juvenile or adult correctional facility where education services are not provided, as well as students where the reason is unknown.
Source: Kansas Health Institute analysis of Kansas State Department of Education, Yearly Totals State Dropouts by Year, Race and Gender, All Schools, 2022-2023.
High school completion is highly associated with improved health outcomes, employment and quality of life. School and home environments can create barriers to a student’s ability to complete high school, including experiences of financial insecurity, bullying, violence, teen parenthood and disparate access to educational resources. Difficulty reading is also a risk factor for dropping out of school. Inequities exist. Nationally, boys graduate at a lower rate than girls. On top of this gender gap, students who are Native American, Black, Hispanic, who identify as LGBTQ and who experience poverty drop out of school at higher rates than their peers.
Sources: County Health Rankings; Healthy People 2030; U.S. Department of Education; Brookings.
The percentage of Kansas 4th graders at each reading level (below basic, basic, proficient or advanced), based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) standardized test.
Note: The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading assessment is administered nationally to 4th graders (typically in alternating years) with the test’s scaled scores for each grade/student grouped into one of four groups (below basic, basic, proficient or advanced). In 2022, 31 percent of Kansas 4th graders were proficient or advanced readers, similar to 4th graders nationally (32 percent). Due to rounding, some percentages may not add to 100 percent.
Source: Kansas Health Institute analysis of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) percentages by achievement level for 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022.
Basic (208): Partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills fundamental for performance at the proficient level.
Proficient (238): Competency over challenging subject matter, including subject-matter knowledge, application of such knowledge to real-world situations and analytical skills.
Advanced (268): Superior performance beyond proficient level.
Healthy People 2030: The Healthy People initiative is a national collaboration of stakeholders started in 1979, and led by the U.S. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health to promote, strengthen and evaluate the nation’s efforts to improve the health and well-being of all people. Healthy People 2030 is the fifth iteration of the initiative.
Students who are competent readers are more likely to perform well in other subjects, such as math and science. Reading achievement also is a predictor of one’s likelihood of graduating from high school and attending college. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a nationally representative assessment that measures what students know and can do in selected subject areas, such as reading.
Sources: County Health Rankings; National Assessment of Educational Progress; Healthy People 2030.
The average reading score of Kansas 4th graders based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) standardized test.
Average NAEP Score (95% Confidence Interval Low, High)
Benchmarks:
Basic (208): Partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills fundamental for performance at the proficient level.
Proficient (238): Competency over challenging subject matter, including subject-matter knowledge, application of such knowledge to real-world situations and analytical skills.
Advanced (268): Superior performance beyond proficient level.
How to read this data: This data source estimates with 95 percent accuracy the average reading score for students. For example, the estimated range of the average score for Hispanic students is between 194 and 205, and for Black students is between 187 and 203. Because the ranges overlap, it is inaccurate to say the average score for Hispanic students is higher than the average for Black students.
Note: The NAEP reading assessment is administered nationally to 4th graders (typically in alternating years) with the test’s scaled scores for each grade/student grouped into one of four groups (below basic, basic, proficient or advanced). NAEP average scores are presented on a scale from 0-500. A confidence interval is a range of possible values around a measurement that conveys how precise the measurement is. A 95 percent confidence interval is standard practice. Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaska Native student scores were suppressed due to low numbers.
Source: Kansas Health Institute analysis of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) percentages by achievement level for 2022.
Students who are competent readers are more likely to perform well in other subjects, such as math and science. Reading achievement also is a predictor of one’s likelihood of graduating from high school and attending college. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a nationally representative assessment that measures what students know and can do in selected subject areas like reading.
Sources: County Health Rankings and National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Percent of Kansas class of 2023 students who met the ACT college readiness benchmarks for reading.
Note: Race and ethnicity categories reported above are mutually exclusive. Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students (59) are not included on the graph because of the small number of students. Additionally, 1,926 Kansas students taking the ACT did not provide their demographic information. These students were distributed proportionally using the distribution of students by race and ethnicity who took the ACT. ACT college-readiness benchmarks are the minimum ACT test scores required for a student to have a reasonable chance of achieving a B or higher grade in the comparable course during their first year. The reading benchmark is based on success for a social science class, such as American history, psychology, economics or political science. Denominators for each race and ethnicity group use Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) four-year cohort estimation for the 2022−2023 graduating class. The cohort study follows students from 9th–12th grade to calculate the class of 2023. Students who transferred in or out, immigrated or died have been accounted for in each four-year cohort.
Source: Kansas Health Institute analysis of ACT, U.S. high school graduating class trends, 2023 and data from Kansas State Department of Education, 2023.
Although not every student will pursue a college education, the ACT remains a tool for those who do. The Kansas Board of Regents sets qualified admissions standards for Kansas universities as a way to ensure college readiness. In the 2022‒2023 standards, the ACT was optional, but an ACT score of 21+ can offer a path to college admissions even if a student’s grade point average (GPA) is below the cut off. ACT scores also can be leveraged for merit-based scholarships, lessening barriers to receiving a college education. The Kansas Legislature funds one free ACT test to all high school juniors. Additional ACT tests start at $68.
Discussion Questions: What surprises you? What else do you want to learn?
Unified School Districts in southwest Kansas have a greater proportion of ELL students than in other areas of Kansas.
Two-thirds of children in poverty in Kansas live in single-parent households.
One in 3 Kansas students surveyed show signs of depression in 2024.
If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
A greater proportion of Black students in grades 7-12 in Kansas dropped out compared to all other groups in 2022‒2023.
Seven in 10 Kansas 4th graders read below a proficient level. In 2022, the gap in reading performance worsened, with 4 in 10 students testing below the basic level of reading.
The average NAEP score for all Kansas 4th graders was below the proficient level of reading. The average score for Black and Hispanic students was below the basic level of reading.
Three in 10 Kansas students took the ACT exam and met the reading benchmark. However, racial disparities exist in both ACT participation and performance.
The Kansas Health Institute supports effective policymaking through nonpartisan research, education and engagement. KHI believes evidence-based information, objective analysis and civil dialogue enable policy leaders to be champions for a healthier Kansas. Established in 1995 with a multiyear grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, KHI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization based in Topeka.
