By Mark Tallman

“We can tell you all these things we have put in place but it depends on the students doing the work, and the parents encouraging and supporting them, and the teachers doing their part. If there is a message to send, it's that students, the parents, and the staff working together to make it happen. I don't think we're satisfied with where we are but we are proud of improvements that we're making.” - Lakin High School Principal Nate Schmitt.

Lakin USD 215 in one of just two Kansas districts in the 500-1600 enrollment category that had a 100 percent graduation rate in 2022. This represented a 9.1 percent increase between 2017 and 2023. Those results are well above most districts with similar characteristics and 8.6 percent higher than expected based on demographics. Lakin leaders said school redesign helped them make changes, from a new schedule to a stronger student voice. These changes are keeping more students enrolled, attending, and engaged.

Lakin has about 670 students and is located in southwest Kansas, 25 miles west of Garden City. Their average population of students from low-income families plus students with disabilities is 66.4 percent. 

I met with two Lakin High School leaders to find out how they improved the graduation rate so dramatically. Principal Schmitt has been in the district for 10 years and his current position for two. “I was the sixth high school principal in nine years,” said Schmitt. “So not much consistency, and that makes it difficult for everyone from the students to the teachers to the community.” Dean of Students Jennifer Bachman has been with the district for over 20 years and in her current position for two.

The school district has seen changes in its population over the past decade with more non-English-speaking students, economic issues, family challenges, and students with social issues.

School leaders have sought more consistency around expectations. But Schmitt and Bachman stressed that to make changes in outcomes, the school had to change how it operated. They say participation in Kansas State Board of Education’s School Redesign Project encouraged schools to think deeply about how they could restructure to serve students better. 

“A lot of the stuff that we have done in the last few years came up during the redesign process,” Bachman said. “We've slowly figured out how we can make it work for us.” She said people were open-minded in the process, which occurred in 2018-2019, and it has led to a number of changes.

“We didn't have attendance policy at the high school previously,” said Schmitt. “We’ve put one in place. It's amazing how the kids will meet that expectation if it's enforced. Our attendance is much better. Kids are here, so we can build relationships with them.” The school Student Intervention Team (SIT) was revised in recent years. They meet monthly and look at every student.

The school adopted a “Flex Mod” schedule. Monday, Tuesday, and Friday are traditional. Wednesdays and Thursdays have a more flexible schedule. On flex days, classes like art, shop, auto, etc. have minimum time requirements but are not strictly scheduled. Teachers choose how they want their classes structured. Flex time is built in for interventions, tutoring, homework, job shadowing, and more. 

The schedule supports the district’s tiered interventions, based on the KSDE’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) model. Students are given more flexibility if they are making progress and have more structure for interventions if they are falling behind.

“The best way I can describe it is we're able to do things in place of, instead of, on top of,” Schmitt said.  He says the schedule is a big reason for the success.

Lakin has significantly expanded Career and Technical Education programs, options for college credit, and work-based learning. “We tried to listen to what excites kids and makes them want to be here,” said Schmitt. “Instead of sitting in the class to learn what Business Essentials is, we've started a student-led coffee shop called Broncs’ Brew so they're learning Business Essentials through running a business.” They have done the same thing with auto class where they created Broncs’ Garage as well as in Graphic Design class. “We’re getting these kids the real-world, hands-on experiences, which is what you have to do with high school kids.”

Bachman praised the partnership with Garden City Community College. “They have really, really knocked it out of the park for us. In the last five to five to seven years they have just added more and more opportunities for our kids and we have taken advantage of every little bit.”

Schmitt formed a Student Leadership Team made up of students who provide feedback on what they like and dislike about the school and ideas for improvements. They have helped organize tutoring programs, pep rallies, communication between teachers and students, and volunteer opportunities. ”They've been a great voice of our school,” said Schmitt. “I've been able to take that information to staff meetings or to Building Leadership Team, and I think it has helped students see things from our perspective as well, what we can do and what can’t do. We’ve become a better team.”