Standard & Poor’s releases Kansas School Efficiency Study
Landmark study first of its kind, 21 school districts recognized for efficiency

Kansas schools can learn a lot from each other says a new report released today by Standard & Poor’s, Governor Kathleen Sebelius and the Kauffman Foundation.

The S&P Educational Efficiency Study identifies which Kansas school districts are maximizing their resources and how less efficient districts can make improvements. This study follows up on an initial study in March of 2006, with the new data reflecting recent increases in Kansas’ school funding. These analyses are the first of their kind in Kansas, and are thought to be the first of their kind in the country.

“We cannot spend our way to excellence,” Sebelius said. “But we can achieve excellence through strategic investments in the right areas. This study is a road map of what works and what doesn’t. Every Kansas child, in every corner of the state, deserves a first class education. This report helps us get the best return on our investment.”

To determine a district’s efficiency, Standard & Poor’s analyzed multiple data points including how much the district spends per student; the district's performance on the Kansas Reading and Math Assessments; and the percentage of students enrolled in the district with economically disadvantaged backgrounds, disabilities, or limited English proficiency.

Each school district was given an efficiency score. Kansas’ scores range from about 60 percent to 100 percent efficient. This means that the least efficient district is approximately 60 percent as efficient as the most cost-effective districts. The average Kansas school system is approximately 85% as efficient as the most cost-effective districts.

Among the state's 300 school districts, there were 257 school systems that had adequate data for analysis. Of this number, 21 received scores of 100 percent, and are identified below:

Additionally, there are six districts that achieved relative efficiency scores that exceed 99 percent. These districts include:

“There is considerable diversity in the student performance, spending levels, and enrollment characteristics of each of these districts,” said Michael Stewart, Director, Standard & Poor’s School Evaluation Services.  “It’s because of this diversity that we believe improved efficiency is possible for any district that is willing to put forth the effort and learn from other districts that have successfully managed their resources.”

The study, which was paid for by The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, is being released in two parts:  the first part includes an executive summary, key findings, and details about the methodology Standard & Poor’s used to identify efficiency; and the second part includes comparative performance profiles for each of the state's less efficient districts.

“The efficiency analysis is a powerful tool that allows Kansas school districts to better understand how their use of resources influences student performance,” said Margo Quiriconi, director, Education Research and Policy, at the Kauffman Foundation. “We hope that this tool will be important to local school communities in reviewing what they might do to improve the effectiveness of their districts.”

A complete copy of the Educational Efficiency Study is contained in the following attachments:

Part I - Efficiency Analysis (pdf) [528 kb]

Part IIa - Efficiency Profiles A-F (pdf) [1.72mb]

Part IIb - Efficiency Profiles G-N (pdf) [1.70mb]

Part IIc - Efficiency Profiles O-Z (pdf) [1.86mb]

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