What share of students in Kansas are proficient in math?

In 2024, 26% of eighth graders in Kansas public schools were at or above NAEP Proficient in mathematics (25th highest among the 50 states and DC) and 25% in reading, compared with 33% and 32% in 2019 (national public 2024: 27% and 29%).

Education in Kansas, United States: official figures

89.1% of public high school students in Kansas graduated within four years of starting ninth grade in the 2021-22 school year (the adjusted cohort graduation rate); joint 9th highest among the 49 states (including DC) with data (U.S.: 86.6%).

High school graduation rate (4-year ACGR)

89.1%

2021-22

NAEP fourth-grade reading score

213

2024

NAEP eighth-grade mathematics score

274

2024

Current spending per pupil, public schools

$15,558

FY2024

Public school enrollment

483,505

Fall 2023

Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

36.0%

2024

Is the graduation rate in Kansas rising?

The four-year graduation rate in Kansas was 89.1% in 2021-22, compared with 85% in 2011-12 and 87.2% in 2018-19, before the pandemic; nationally the rate went from 80% in 2011-12 to 86.6% in 2021-22.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

What is the graduation rate for disadvantaged students in Kansas?

In 2021-22 the four-year graduation rate in Kansas was 82.2% for economically disadvantaged students, 83.2% for students with disabilities and 84.4% for English learners (U.S.: 81.3%, 71.4%, 72.1% respectively).

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

What is the graduation rate by race in Kansas?

By race and ethnicity, the 2021-22 graduation rate in Kansas was 82.0% for Black, 85.2% for Hispanic and 91.0% for White students (U.S.: 81.0%, 82.8%, 89.8%).

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

How do students in Kansas score in grade 4 reading?

Public school students in Kansas averaged 213 in fourth-grade reading on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), joint 20th lowest among the 50 states and DC, down from 219 in 2019 (national public: 214, 219 in 2019). 28% scored at or above Proficient and 40% below Basic.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

How do students in Kansas score in grade 8 reading?

Public school students in Kansas averaged 255 in eighth-grade reading on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), joint 21st lowest among the 50 states and DC, down from 263 in 2019 (national public: 257, 262 in 2019). 25% scored at or above Proficient and 34% below Basic.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

How do students in Kansas score in grade 4 math?

Public school students in Kansas averaged 237 in fourth-grade mathematics on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), joint 24th lowest among the 50 states and DC, down from 239 in 2019 (national public: 237, 240 in 2019). 40% scored at or above Proficient and 24% below Basic.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

How do students in Kansas score in grade 8 math?

Public school students in Kansas averaged 274 in eighth-grade mathematics on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), joint 24th highest among the 50 states and DC, down from 282 in 2019 (national public: 272, 281 in 2019). 26% scored at or above Proficient and 37% below Basic.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

How much does Kansas spend per student?

Public school systems in Kansas spent $15,558 per pupil on current operations in fiscal year 2024, 20th lowest among the 50 states and DC (U.S.: $17,619), according to the Census Bureau's Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Is school spending per pupil in Kansas going up?

Current spending per pupil in Kansas rose from $11,926 in fiscal 2019 to $15,558 in fiscal 2024, up 30.5% before inflation (U.S.: up 33.6%); the change on fiscal 2023 was up 4.8%.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

What does Kansas spend school money on?

Of the $15,558 spent per pupil in Kansas in fiscal 2024, $9,236 went on instruction and $5,637 on support services; salaries and wages came to $8,831 per pupil and employee benefits $2,947.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Where does school funding in Kansas come from?

Public school systems in Kansas received $8.9 billion in revenue in fiscal 2024: 11.8% from the federal government, 61.7% from the state and 26.5% from local sources such as property taxes (U.S.: 11.6%, 45.2% and 43.2%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How much does Kansas spend on public schools in total?

Total spending by public school systems in Kansas was $8.3 billion in fiscal 2024, of which $7.5 billion was current spending and $507.89 million capital outlay on buildings and equipment; the systems owed $6.8 billion in debt at the end of the year.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many students are in public schools in Kansas?

483,505 pupils were enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in Kansas in fall 2023, down 2.9% on fall 2019 (497,963) and down 2.6% on fall 2013; nationally enrollment was down 2.5% since 2019.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

What is the student-teacher ratio in Kansas?

Public schools in Kansas had 37,885 full-time-equivalent teachers in fall 2022, about 12.9 pupils per teacher, 14th fewest among the 50 states and DC (U.S.: 15.4; Kansas in fall 2019: 13.6).

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

What percentage of people in Kansas have a college degree?

36.0% of adults aged 25 and over in Kansas, about 716,000 people, held a bachelor's degree or higher in 2024; joint 24th highest among the 50 states and DC (U.S.: 36.8%). That is up 0.6 percentage points on 2021 (35.4%), according to the American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Kansas have a graduate degree?

In 2024, 13.6% of adults 25 and over in Kansas had a graduate or professional degree and 9.6% an associate degree as their highest qualification (U.S.: 14.7% and 8.8%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many adults in Kansas did not finish high school?

92.0% of adults 25 and over in Kansas had at least a high school diploma or equivalent in 2024, leaving 8.0% without one; that share is joint 24th lowest among the 50 states and DC (U.S.: 10.1%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How Kansas compares with other states

Public high school 4-year graduation rate (ACGR) (2021-22)

Kansas ranks 10 of 49, highest first. Adjusted cohort graduation rate; New Mexico and Oklahoma did not report for 2021-22

Rank	Region	Public high school 4-year graduation rate (ACGR)
7	Missouri	89.8%
8	Texas	89.7%
9	Virginia	89.1%
10	Kansas	89.1%
11	Connecticut	88.9%
12	Mississippi	88.9%
13	Alabama	88.2%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Graduation rate of economically disadvantaged students (2021-22)

Kansas ranks 14 of 48, highest first. Adjusted cohort graduation rate

Rank	Region	Graduation rate of economically disadvantaged students
11	Alabama	82.6%
12	Virginia	82.4%
13	Iowa	82.3%
14	Kansas	82.2%
15	Connecticut	82.1%
16	Missouri	81.7%
17	New York	81.6%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

NAEP fourth-grade reading, average score (2024)

Kansas ranks 35 of 51, highest first. Public school students; scale 0-500

Rank	Region	NAEP fourth-grade reading, average score
32	North Carolina	213
33	Alabama	213
34	Nevada	213
35	Kansas	213
36	Vermont	213
37	California	212
38	Texas	212

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

NAEP eighth-grade reading, average score (2024)

Kansas ranks 36 of 51, highest first. Public school students; scale 0-500

Rank	Region	NAEP eighth-grade reading, average score
33	Missouri	255
34	Oregon	255
35	Arkansas	255
36	Kansas	255
37	Maine	255
38	California	254
39	Arizona	254

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

NAEP fourth-grade mathematics, average score (2024)

Kansas ranks 29 of 51, highest first. Public school students; scale 0-500

Rank	Region	NAEP fourth-grade mathematics, average score
26	Nebraska	238
27	Montana	238
28	Iowa	237
29	Kansas	237
30	Rhode Island	237
31	Illinois	236
32	Georgia	236

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

NAEP eighth-grade mathematics, average score (2024)

Kansas ranks 25 of 51, highest first. Public school students; scale 0-500

Rank	Region	NAEP eighth-grade mathematics, average score
22	Virginia	275
23	Iowa	275
24	Washington	274
25	Kansas	274
26	Maine	273
27	New York	271
28	Kentucky	271

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Eighth graders at or above NAEP Proficient in mathematics (2024)

Kansas ranks 25 of 51, highest first. Public school students

Rank	Region	Eighth graders at or above NAEP Proficient in mathematics
22	Virginia	28.5%
23	Vermont	28.5%
24	Iowa	27.2%
25	Kansas	26.3%
26	New York	26.2%
27	Rhode Island	26.0%
28	Arizona	25.8%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Fourth graders below NAEP Basic in reading (2024)

Kansas ranks 26 of 51, highest first. Public school students

Rank	Region	Fourth graders below NAEP Basic in reading
23	Illinois	40.7%
24	Georgia	40.6%
25	South Carolina	40.3%
26	Kansas	40.1%
27	South Dakota	39.9%
28	Louisiana	39.6%
29	Washington	39.5%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Current spending per pupil, public schools (FY2024)

Kansas ranks 32 of 51, highest first. Census Bureau Annual Survey of School System Finances

Rank	Region	Current spending per pupil, public schools
29	Georgia	$15,833
30	West Virginia	$15,640
31	Louisiana	$15,581
32	Kansas	$15,558
33	South Carolina	$15,060
34	Nevada	$14,812
35	Kentucky	$14,596

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Change in current spending per pupil since FY2019 (FY2019-FY2024)

Kansas ranks 35 of 51, highest first. Current dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Rank	Region	Change in current spending per pupil since FY2019
32	Washington	+30.5%
33	Tennessee	+30.5%
34	Oklahoma	+30.5%
35	Kansas	+30.5%
36	West Virginia	+30.2%
37	Kentucky	+29.3%
38	Minnesota	+27.7%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Share of public school revenue from local sources (FY2024)

Kansas ranks 42 of 51, highest first. Census Bureau

Rank	Region	Share of public school revenue from local sources
39	Delaware	31.8%
40	Alabama	31.3%
41	Minnesota	30.2%
42	Kansas	26.5%
43	Washington	26.1%
44	North Carolina	25.5%
45	Alaska	23.8%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Pupils per teacher, public schools (Fall 2022)

Kansas ranks 38 of 51, highest first. Common Core of Data

Rank	Region	Pupils per teacher, public schools
35	West Virginia	13.5
36	Pennsylvania	13.3
37	Mississippi	13.0
38	Kansas	12.9
39	Missouri	12.8
40	Arkansas	12.7
41	Rhode Island	12.7

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Change in public school enrollment, fall 2019 to fall 2023 (2019-2023)

Kansas ranks 30 of 51, highest first. Common Core of Data

Rank	Region	Change in public school enrollment, fall 2019 to fall 2023
27	Arkansas	-2.4%
28	Minnesota	-2.6%
29	Virginia	-2.9%
30	Kansas	-2.9%
31	Arizona	-3.0%
32	Nevada	-3.5%
33	Wyoming	-3.8%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Adults 25 and over with a bachelor's degree or higher (2024)

Kansas ranks 24 of 51, highest first. American Community Survey 1-year estimates

Rank	Region	Adults 25 and over with a bachelor's degree or higher
21	Pennsylvania	36.4%
22	Georgia	36.3%
23	Montana	36.3%
24	Kansas	36.0%
25	Delaware	36.0%
26	Florida	35.8%
27	Nebraska	35.4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Adults 25 and over without a high school diploma or equivalent (2024)

Kansas ranks 29 of 51, highest first. American Community Survey 1-year estimates

Rank	Region	Adults 25 and over without a high school diploma or equivalent
26	Connecticut	8.2%
27	Delaware	8.2%
28	Missouri	8.0%
29	Kansas	8.0%
30	District of Columbia	8.0%
31	Ohio	7.8%
32	Michigan	7.8%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

More on Kansas: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · the United States

Sources

National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 219.46: Public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), by selected student characteristics and state, 2011-12 through 2021-22, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1913b92e5e75…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, table-based summary file: Educational attainment for the population 25 years and over (B15003), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c933281d2c2…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): Digest of Education Statistics 2024, Table 203.20: Enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by state, fall 1990 through fall 2023 (Common Core of Data), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8e370b60d62a…)
U.S. Census Bureau: 2024 Annual Survey of School System Finances: summary tables (Public Elementary-Secondary Education Finance Data, fiscal year 2024), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 848133174f29…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): NAEP mathematics grade 4, 2019 and 2024: average scale score and achievement-level percentages for public school students by state (NAEP Data Service), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 913ed194a3d5…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): NAEP mathematics grade 8, 2019 and 2024: average scale score and achievement-level percentages for public school students by state (NAEP Data Service), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7dc207d5418d…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): NAEP reading grade 4, 2019 and 2024: average scale score and achievement-level percentages for public school students by state (NAEP Data Service), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7da857933d83…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): NAEP reading grade 8, 2019 and 2024: average scale score and achievement-level percentages for public school students by state (NAEP Data Service), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 790de8a24822…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 208.40: Public elementary and secondary teachers, enrollment, and pupil/teacher ratios, by state, fall 2000 through fall 2022 (Common Core of Data), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c15568f58c4c…)

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