Bel Aire’s public schools score below 94% of Kansas districts on tests and graduation
15% of students in Bel Aire’s public schools are proficient in math, below the Kansas average (29%). The grade covers the two public school districts serving Bel Aire, 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 98% 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.
Bel Aire’s schools, in brief
Results trail the state
In spring 2022, 19% of tested students were proficient in reading and 15% in math, against 32% and 29% statewide; 98% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓
Graduation
79% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88% across Kansas. Districts ↓
Spending and class size
Wichita Unified School District 259 spends $16,000 per student and Circle Unified School District 375 $11,785, against $14,966 across Kansas (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓
Choice beyond the district
Sunrise Christian Academy (private), Sunrise Christian Academy Elementary (private) and Resurrection Catholic School (private) are in town. 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 Bel Aire’s grade
D: better than 6% of Kansas school districts, #145 of 151 Kansas towns. Both inputs trail the Kansas average; graduation is the closer of the two to typical.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Bel Aire, with each school’s own grade.
Pre-K in Bel Aire
Isely Traditional Magnet Elem
Grades PK–5 · 621 students · 13:1 students per teacher
Kindergarten in Bel Aire
Isely Traditional Magnet Elem
Grades PK–5 · 621 students · 13:1 students per teacher
1st grade in Bel Aire
Isely Traditional Magnet Elem
Grades PK–5 · 621 students · 13:1 students per teacher
2nd grade in Bel Aire
Isely Traditional Magnet Elem
Grades PK–5 · 621 students · 13:1 students per teacher
3rd grade in Bel Aire
Isely Traditional Magnet Elem
Grades PK–5 · 621 students · 13:1 students per teacher
4th grade in Bel Aire
Isely Traditional Magnet Elem
Grades PK–5 · 621 students · 13:1 students per teacher
5th grade in Bel Aire
Isely Traditional Magnet Elem
Grades PK–5 · 621 students · 13:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Bel Aire
Northeast Magnet High School
Grades 9–12 · 686 students · 14:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Bel Aire
Northeast Magnet High School
Grades 9–12 · 686 students · 14:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Bel Aire
Northeast Magnet High School
Grades 9–12 · 686 students · 14:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Bel Aire
Northeast Magnet High School
Grades 9–12 · 686 students · 14:1 students per teacher
Bel Aire runs its own schools through grade 12 (Wichita Unified School District 259). From grade PK, students attend the Circle Unified School District 375, shared with Augusta, Benton, Benton, El Dorado, El Dorado, Fairview, Murdock, Payne, Towanda and Towanda. Its middle school is in Wichita. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
Two districts serve Bel Aire
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well below the state in reading
Bel Aire vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Kansas towns that share Bel Aire’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Bel Aire | D | Wichita Unified School District 259 PK–12 · Circle Unified School District 375 PK–12 |
| Payne | A | Circle Unified School District 375 PK–12 · Andover Unified School District 385 PK–12 |
| Wichita | D | Wichita Unified School District 259 |
| Kechi | D | Wichita Unified School District 259 PK–12 · Valley Center Public Schools Unified School District 262 PK–12 |
2 of the 3 neighbors share Wichita Unified School District 259 with Bel Aire for grades PK–12, so their letters differ mainly through the lower grades.
Every school in Bel Aire
24 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 Bel Aire’s schools
Are Bel Aire’s schools good?
On Kansas’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Bel Aire children attend score below 94% of Kansas’s school districts on tests and graduation, a D Schools grade, #145 of 151 Kansas towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 3%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Bel Aire in?
Two districts: Wichita Unified School District 259 runs grades PK–12, and Circle Unified School District 375 runs grades PK–12, shared with Augusta, Benton, Benton, El Dorado, El Dorado, Fairview, Murdock, Payne, Towanda and Towanda.
Where do Bel Aire kids go to high school?
Northeast Magnet High School, with 686 students; its own test results earn a C.
What is Bel Aire’s graduation rate?
79% of the class of 2023 in Wichita Unified School District 259 graduated in four years, against 88% across Kansas.
How much does Bel Aire spend per student?
$16,000 in Wichita Unified School District 259 and $11,785 in Circle Unified School District 375 (FY2024), against $14,966 across Kansas. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Bel Aire?
Yes: Sunrise Christian Academy (religious, grades PK–12, 566 students), Sunrise Christian Academy Elementary (religious, grades K–12, 466 students) and Resurrection Catholic School (Catholic, grades PK–8, 197 students).
Parents talk
What Bel Aire families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Bel Aire → 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.