by Mark Tallman

The city of Pratt, about 80 miles west of Wichita, is famous for hosting the annual Miss Kansas Pageant and for a pair of old-fashioned water towers labeled “Hot” and “Cold.” Pratt’s school district, USD 382, should draw attention for its high student outcomes. 

With an enrollment of 1,224, Pratt had an average of 65.9% of its students eligible for free and reduced-price meals or identified as having a disability, from 2015 to 2024. Students in these groups often face more challenges in learning. Based on those numbers, Pratt exceeded expected results by an average of 6.6 for reading and math tests, graduation rate and postsecondary success — both for the most recent year and change over time. That ranks them fifth out of 97 public and private school systems with 500 to 1,600 students. 

In addition, Pratt’s graduation rate increased 12.2 from 2017 to 2024, which was 10.8% higher than expected. Its postsecondary effective rate increased 10.9% from the graduating class of 2018 to 2022, 15.5% higher than expected. That rate is the percentage of each senior class that graduates on time and either completes an industry-recognized credential, a technical certification or a degree within two years, or is enrolled in a postsecondary program. 

That means Pratt significantly outpaced similar districts – and the state average – getting more students to graduate and earn postsecondary credentials. I met with Pratt teachers, administrators and the school board president to learn what they are doing to get higher results. 

Stability and Leadership. They said it starts with stability, from teachers to administrators to the school board.  

“If you did this six years ago, I think everyone in this room today would have been here then,” said Superintendent Tony Helfrich. “They might have been in different roles, but they were involved. Three of us would have been administrators six years ago and were with the district before that. Bill (Bergner) would have been our (school board) president. It (stability) is something we definitely have in the district leadership teams.” 

Participants said stable leadership and staff have given them time to study what needs to be done, develop and implement new programs and policies and evaluate their effectiveness. They also noted that several leaders in the room had been educated in the district, had strong community ties and helped to create a supportive culture. 

One newcomer explained: "I was in my previous school district for 23 years,” said Antonia Villa, principal at Pratt Academic Center, the district’s school for fourth and fifth graders. “I did a lot of research to make sure that this is the place that I wanted to be at, like looking through the state assessment results within the five years. What intrigued me about Pratt was — how are they getting these results? I have learned that you have quality people here. They want to be here because kids matter. When teachers feel like they have a voice, then I think that's when they own it, and they want to make it better.” 

Tiered Interventions. There was widespread agreement about the importance of implementing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) at every level. MTSS is designed to provide a strong core curriculum to all students (Tier 1), regularly monitor how students are doing and provide more individualized support as needed (Tier 2), and deliver intensive help for students with the highest needs, including those receiving special education services (Tier 3). The goal is to help every student at their specific learning level, whether they need remedial support or enrichment. 

At the elementary level, "Every grade has a 30-minute reading time for MTSS Tier 2 reading, and a 25-minute time for Tier 2 math,” said Southwest Elementary Principal Kirsten Blankenship. "We have a teacher who is licensed to work in special education with gifted who works with kids who have reached a score that shows they might need an extra push for high-achieving students." 

In middle school, there are 26 minutes daily for personalized learning, when students are pulled out for targeted instruction using the IXL program. "We know where every kid is in our building every day,” said Liberty Middle School Principal Stephanie Thompson. “We can tell you if they're functioning at a fourth-grade reading level or a 10th-grade math level." 

High school principal Steve Blankenship explained that, rather than using a traditional MTSS model that shifts students into a separate intervention period, the high school uses course alignment, providing multiple levels of classes to meet different student needs. Students are assessed daily using programs like NoRedInk and CommonLit. 

Use of Data. Pratt educators stressed that an effective intervention program requires using data about student progress. Superintendent Helfrich said that when working on the district’s previous accreditation cycle, leaders felt the middle school process wasn’t as strong as the elementary program. “We felt we weren’t using data to really show how students were doing. It took both a mindset change (to commit using more information) and then actually getting a person responsible for pulling the information together so it could be used.” 

Raising Rigor. Pratt leaders say they are pushing students to higher levels of achievement while recognizing differences in interests and abilities. The district introduced “Diploma Pathways,” a system of four diploma levels with varying requirements to emphasis ACT performance and curriculum rigor—not just GPA—incentivizing students to take more challenging classes. The top levels require completion of the Kansas Honors Curriculum. 

“Base 21” for students on a modified plan is the minimum state graduation requirement. “Traditional” has additional local requirements Pratt used in the past. “Honors” requires an ACT score of 21 or higher or ACT WorkKey Gold Certificate, 95% attendance and specific higher-level course requirements. Finally, “Greenback Scholar” requires an ACT score of 24 or WorkKeys Platinum Certificate, 95% attendance, Advanced Placement courses and additional course requirements. The valedictorian and salutatorian must come from this pathway. 

Through multiple levels of classes to challenge students, multiple Career Tech Education Pathways and concurrent high school and college course offerings, the district encourages students to explore career options and eliminate career paths they are not interested in. “We're always pushing the kids to try to get them to take the next step, rather than whatever is the easiest class to take," said high school principal Steve Blankenship. “We want them to push beyond their comfort zone.” Leaders stressed that these changes have been made with extensive parental and community input. 

Addressing Absenteeism. Like most districts, Pratt experienced a rise in chronic absenteeism during and after the COVID pandemic and has taken steps to encourage attendance. In addition to tying attendance to diploma pathways, every school in the district has the same attendance policy and uses a School Attendance Review Board (SARB) process with escalating steps. If initial policy violations don’t resolve the problem, the student and parents are called to a meeting with the principal, counselor, school resource officer and hearing officer. If the problem continues, cases can be turned over to the county attorney. "We've built a relationship with the county attorney, and our attendance has gotten a lot better," said principal Steve Blankenship. "We all know that attendance is crucial for kids to get better." 

School Board President Bill Bergner noted the 95%attendance requirement teaches students the importance of showing up, which is valuable whether they enter the workforce at 18 or pursue further education. 

Relationships and Student Support. Finally, while promoting higher achievement, Pratt educators say they also meet the social and emotional needs of students — from expanding early childhood opportunities to school-based mental health services and additional counseling staff. They emphasize strong, positive relationships. 

“If we don't have relationships with those kids, they're not going to listen to us inside or outside the classroom,” said Liberty Middle School teacher Sabre Dixon. “Once we've established those relationships, then we have high expectations.”