Kansas Student Test Scores Improve in 2026
Proficiency rates rose in ELA and math as teacher vacancies decreased across the state.
Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Secondary Education
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Kansas students saw improved scores in English language arts and math on state assessments during the 2025-26 school year. These results accompany a significant reduction in statewide teacher vacancies and lower rates of chronic absenteeism.
Why it matters
These performance trends indicate a stabilization in school staffing and student engagement across Kansas. Tracking these figures helps parents understand the broader educational environment and resource levels in their local school districts.
Proficient and advanced scores grew by 1.46 percentage points in ELA and 2.27 percentage points in math for the 2025-26 year. Teacher vacancies also dropped 28% to 1,588 positions compared to the prior year.
The players
Kansas State Department of Education
The state agency responsible for managing K-12 education policy and reporting performance metrics for Kansas districts.
The details
Students in grades 3-8 and 10 participated in state assessments, which were evaluated against new cut scores established following the 2025 update. Alongside test improvements, schools saw chronic absenteeism fall to 17.8% for the 2025-26 term. These metrics are part of the state's latest annual education report, which also highlights the addition of 14,851 Seals of Literacy to educator licenses.
Timeline
2021-2022: Chronic absenteeism reached a high of 24.5 percent.
Spring 2025: Kansas introduced a new assessment.
2025-2026: State assessment results measured.
September 30, 2026: 14,851 Seals of Literacy added to educator licenses.
The Home Front
This performance data follows the benchmarks established in the What Matters Most annual education report. These metrics track how local schools align with state-wide educational standards and resource allocation trends.
Parents can review their local district's specific outcomes in the annual report to understand school-level trends. Check the latest figures to see how your district compares to the state's average improvements in test scores and staffing.
The takeaway
The latest data shows a positive trend in Kansas classrooms with increased student proficiency and improved teacher retention. Families can monitor these state-wide developments to better understand the stability of their local school environments.
Further reading
Find more detailed information on school performance and curriculum standards in the Secondary Education section.
More information
Review the full KSDE annual report and data to see district-level breakdowns.
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Are local schools in your community providing a better education for students than in previous years?
