Thomas County Schools & Education
Thomas County, Kansas
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
43/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Midrange Signal
Graduation Rate
85.2%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
85.2%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 88.7%
Per-Pupil Spending
$7,827
National avg $13,239
State avg $9,009
School Score
43/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 61/100
State Score Position
#90
of 105 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Thomas County
Measured School Summary
Thomas County performs at an average level with a school score of 43/100 and a solid graduation rate of 85.2%.
Funding Context
At $7,827 per pupil, Thomas County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 30% below the Kansas average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 3.5 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 13% lower than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Thomas County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
7 public schools and 3 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
43/100
Mixed county signal. Ranks #90 of 105 Kansas counties with school score data.
Completion
85.2%
3.5 pts below the state average
Funding context
$7,827
$1,182 below the state average
School coverage
7
3 districts represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Thomas County has 7 public schools across 3 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Thomas County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Mixed school landscape
Thomas County has enough school-level records to compare the local mix, but no single county metric should be treated as the answer. Use district shape, grade span, and data coverage together.
State position
#90
of 105 Kansas counties with school score data. The county score is 18 points below the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
Colby Public Schools
Elementary to high school visible
964 students
3 listed schools in this county slice.
Brewster
Elementary and high visible
131 students
2 listed schools in this county slice.
Golden Plains
Middle and high visible
87 students
2 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
Colby Public Schools is the largest listed district slice, with 3 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Thomas County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Thomas County district systems?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Thomas County Reports Per-Pupil Spending Below State and National Averages
Education data brief for Thomas County, Kansas.
Thomas County’s per-pupil expenditure of $7,827 is significantly lower than the Kansas average of $9,009 and the national benchmark of $13,000. Public education is organized across three districts serving a total of 1,182 students. Colby Public Schools is the largest of these districts, operating three of the county’s seven schools and enrolling 964 students. The county’s graduation rate sits at 85.2%, slightly below the Kansas state average of 88.7% and the national rate of 87%. The composite school score for the county is 42.5, which is lower than the state mark of 61.0 and the national median of 50.0. Schools in the area are classified as a mix of rural and town locales, with no charter schools present. Refer to the NCES Common Core of Data for specific district financial records.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
7
in Thomas County
Reported Enrollment
1,182
7 schools reporting
School Districts
3
districts
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
3 School Districts in Thomas County
Colby Public Schools
Golden Plains
Brewster
7 Public Schools in Thomas County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 7 of 7 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colby Elem | Record | Colby Public Schools | Colby, 67701Town: Remote | PK–4 | Primary | 409 |
| Colby Senior High | Record | Colby Public Schools | Colby, 67701Town: Remote | 9–12 | High | 284 |
| Colby Middle School | Record | Colby Public Schools | Colby, 67701Town: Remote | 5–8 | Middle | 271 |
| Brewster Elem | Record | Brewster | Brewster, 67732Rural: Remote | PK–8 | Primary | 94 |
| Golden Plains High | Record | Golden Plains | Rexford, 67753Rural: Remote | 9–12 | High | 46 |
| Golden Plains Middle | Record | Golden Plains | Rexford, 67753Rural: Remote | 6–8 | Middle | 41 |
| Brewster High | Record | Brewster | Brewster, 67732Rural: Remote | 9–12 | High | 37 |
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$7,827
State avg $9,009
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Thomas County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
Open CompareBrowse Public Schools
See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
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Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.