Several area schools have been recognized with honors from the 2025 Kansans Can Star Recognition Program.
This Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) program recognizes the exceptional work school districts are doing to reach the state’s vision for education. Kansas leads the world in the success of each student.
District success is recognized in the outcome measures Kansans said they value. These outcomes, categorized as either quantitative or qualitative measures, serve as a roadmap to help Kansas reach its educational vision.
Garden City Public School received the following awards: High School Graduation: Copper; Kindergarten Readiness: Bronze; and Civic Engagement: Copper.
Other area schools and their honors include:
- Cimarron-Ensign USD 102 High School Graduation: Gold Postsecondary Success: Bronze Civic Engagement: Bronze
- Dighton USD 482 High School Graduation: Gold Academically Prepared for Postsecondary: Bronze
- Greeley County USD 200 High School Graduation: Bronze Postsecondary Success: Bronze Commissioner’s Award With Honors
- Hodgeman County USD 227 Academically Prepared for Postsecondary: Copper
- Holcomb USD 363 High School Graduation: Gold Postsecondary Success: Copper Commissioner’s Award
- Hugoton USD 210 High School Graduation: Gold
- Ingalls USD 477 High School Graduation: Copper Academically Prepared for Postsecondary: Bronze Postsecondary Success: Silver Commissioner’s Award With Honors
- Leoti USD 467 High School Graduation: Bronze Academically Prepared for Postsecondary: Bronze Postsecondary Success: Copper
- Satanta USD 507 Postsecondary Success: Bronze Commissioner’s Award With Highest Distinction
- Scott County USD 466 High School Graduation: Gold Postsecondary Success: Bronze Commissioner’s Award
- Stanton County USD 452 High School Graduation: Gold Postsecondary Success: Copper
- Sublette USD 374 High School Graduation: Gold Academically Prepared for Postsecondary: Copper Postsecondary Success: Copper Commissioner’s Award
- Syracuse USD 494 High School Graduation: Bronze Postsecondary Success: Copper
- Weskan USD 242 High School Graduation: Gold Academically Prepared for Postsecondary: Bronze Postsecondary Success: Copper
The Kansans Can Star Recognition Program aligns with the state’s vision of “Kansas leading the world in the success of each student.”
Awards are based on data reported to KSDE and recognize schools for preparing students for life after graduation — whether that means entering college, technical training, or the workforce.
The Kansans Can Star Recognition Program highlights school districts across the state that excel in eight key measures of student success, including high school graduation rates, academic preparation for postsecondary education, and postsecondary success. Other categories include social-emotional growth, kindergarten readiness, individual plans of study, and civic engagement.
The Commissioner’s Award recognizes those districts that outperform their predicted postsecondary effectiveness rate above a .40 standard deviation.
A district’s predicted postsecondary effectiveness rate factors in the degree to which identified risk factors known to depress effectiveness rates, such as poverty, chronic absenteeism and student mobility, are present in a district’s student population. Districts that outperform their predictive rate by:
Commissioner’s award .4-.99 standard deviations
Commissioner’s award with honors 1-1.99 standard deviations
Commissioner’s award with highest distinction 2 or more standard deviations
A full list of the 2025 award recipients is available on the Kansas State Department of Education website at www.ksde.gov.
