Baxter Springs Independent Oil and Gas Service Station · Photo: Vanessa Ezekowitz · CC BY-SA 3.0Baxter Springs’s public schools outscore 61% of Kansas districts
Reading proficiency in Baxter Springs’s districts is 41%, above the Kansas average (32%). The grade covers the public school district serving Baxter Springs, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Kansas, not nationally.
From Kansas state tests taken in spring 2022, when 100% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
Baxter Springs’s schools, in brief
Better than its incomes would predict
Among the 593 Kansas towns with household incomes within a quarter of Baxter Springs’s, its schools beat 67%, higher than their 61% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Above the state on tests
Reading proficiency is 41% and math 33% in spring 2022, against 32% and 29% statewide; 80–84% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88%. Test scores ↓
Spending and class size
The district spends $15,651 per student, against $14,966 across Kansas (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
One elementary school, then one middle and one middle school
From grade 3 the district’s path is Central Elem, then Baxter Springs High. See the path ↓
Choice beyond the district
USD 508 eAcademy, an online school, is based here too; it isn’t counted as a local school. Every school ↓
Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.
What’s behind Baxter Springs’s grade
B: better than 61% of Kansas school districts, #69 of 151 Kansas towns. Test scores are above the Kansas average; graduation is below it.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Baxter Springs, with each school’s own grade.
Pre-K in Baxter Springs
Lincoln Elem
Grades PK–2 · 245 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Kindergarten in Baxter Springs
Lincoln Elem
Grades PK–2 · 245 students · 15:1 students per teacher
1st grade in Baxter Springs
Lincoln Elem
Grades PK–2 · 245 students · 15:1 students per teacher
2nd grade in Baxter Springs
Lincoln Elem
Grades PK–2 · 245 students · 15:1 students per teacher
3rd grade in Baxter Springs
Central Elem
Grades 3–6 · 223 students · 12:1 students per teacher
4th grade in Baxter Springs
Central Elem
Grades 3–6 · 223 students · 12:1 students per teacher
5th grade in Baxter Springs
Central Elem
Grades 3–6 · 223 students · 12:1 students per teacher
6th grade in Baxter Springs
Central Elem
Grades 3–6 · 223 students · 12:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Baxter Springs
Baxter Springs High
Grades 7–12 · 361 students · 11:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Baxter Springs
Baxter Springs High
Grades 7–12 · 361 students · 11:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Baxter Springs
Baxter Springs High
Grades 7–12 · 361 students · 11:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Baxter Springs
Baxter Springs High
Grades 7–12 · 361 students · 11:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Baxter Springs
Baxter Springs High
Grades 7–12 · 361 students · 11:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Baxter Springs
Baxter Springs High
Grades 7–12 · 361 students · 11:1 students per teacher
Baxter Springs’s public schools are run by Baxter Springs Unified School District 508, which also serves Spring Valley. Parts of Baxter Springs (2% of its land) are served by Riverton Unified School District 404 instead. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
The district
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well above the state in reading
Baxter Springs vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Kansas towns that share Baxter Springs’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Baxter Springs | B | Baxter Springs Unified School District 508 |
| Spring Valley | C+ | Baxter Springs Unified School District 508 PK–12 · Riverton Unified School District 404 PK–12 |
| Garden | C− | Riverton Unified School District 404 |
Every school in Baxter Springs
4 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Kansas’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
Questions about Baxter Springs’s schools
Are Baxter Springs’s schools good?
They sit near the middle of Kansas: the public schools Baxter Springs children attend outscore 61% of Kansas’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B Schools grade, #69 of 151 Kansas towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 67%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Baxter Springs in?
Baxter Springs Unified School District 508, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 865 students in 4 schools (2024–25). Small parts of Baxter Springs are served by Riverton Unified School District 404.
What is Baxter Springs’s graduation rate?
80–84% of the class of 2023 in Baxter Springs Unified School District 508 graduated in four years, against 88% across Kansas.
How much does Baxter Springs spend per student?
$15,651 in Baxter Springs Unified School District 508 (FY2024), against $14,966 across Kansas. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Parents talk
What Baxter Springs families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Baxter Springs → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Kansas. Stars are from neighbors.