Drees House · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Hays’s public schools outscore 84% of Kansas districts
Math proficiency in Hays’s districts is 39%, above the Kansas average (29%). The grade covers the public school district serving Hays, 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.
Hays’s schools, in brief
Above the state on both counts
Reading proficiency is 43% and math 39% in spring 2022, against 32% and 29% statewide; 90% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88%. Test scores ↓
Spending and class size
The district spends $15,313 per student, against $14,966 across Kansas (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
Four elementary schools, then one middle and one high school
Which elementary school depends on the address; from grade 6 the district’s path is Hays Middle School, then Hays High. Enrollment is up 8% since 2020–21. See the path ↓
Choice beyond the district
Holy Family Elementary (private) and Thomas More Prep-Marian High (private) are in town. Hays Virtual School, 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 Hays’s grade
A−: better than 84% of Kansas school districts, #20 of 151 Kansas towns. Test scores and graduation are both above the Kansas average; test scores are the stronger of the two.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Hays, with each school’s own grade.
9th grade in Hays
Hays High
Grades 9–12 · 1,017 students · 16:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Hays
Hays High
Grades 9–12 · 1,017 students · 16:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Hays
Hays High
Grades 9–12 · 1,017 students · 16:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Hays
Hays High
Grades 9–12 · 1,017 students · 16:1 students per teacher
Hays’s public schools are run by Hays Unified School District 489, which also serves Big Creek, Buckeye, Freedom and Schoenchen. 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
Hays vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Kansas towns that share Hays’s borders.
Every school in Hays
9 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 Hays’s schools
Are Hays’s schools good?
By Kansas’s own tests, yes: the public schools Hays children attend outscore 84% of Kansas’s school districts on tests and graduation, an A− Schools grade, #20 of 151 Kansas towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 86%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Hays in?
Hays Unified School District 489, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 3,434 students in 7 schools (2024–25).
Where do Hays kids go to high school?
Hays High, with 1,017 students; its own test results earn a B.
What is Hays’s graduation rate?
90% of the class of 2023 in Hays Unified School District 489 graduated in four years, against 88% across Kansas.
How much does Hays spend per student?
$15,313 in Hays Unified School District 489 (FY2024), against $14,966 across Kansas. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Hays?
Yes: Holy Family Elementary (Catholic, grades PK–5, 302 students) and Thomas More Prep-Marian High (Catholic, grades 6–12, 281 students).
Parents talk
What Hays families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Hays → 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.