The second day and third stop touring six districts in north central Kansas was Concordia USD 333. The largest of the six, Concordia was selected for raising its graduation rate by 12.6% from 2015 to 2022, nearly 12% higher than predicted, and having a postsecondary effective rate nearly 12% higher than predicted based on its enrollment and percent of high needs students.  

At a meeting with secondary school leaders, Concordia Junior/Senior High School counselor Bailey Echer provided details of the school’s work. Out of last year’s senior class of about 77 students, 50 earned industry-recognized certifications, 58 received National Career Readiness Certificates from ACT WorkKeys, and seniors earned 716 college credit hours through concurrent enrollment (college courses taught by high school leaders approved by the college) and dual enrollment (college courses taught by postsecondary instructors) over their high school career.  

Students earned those credentials and credits BEFORE graduation. Following graduation, 56.4% went to a two-year college, 14.1% went to a four-year college, 1.3% joined the military and 28.2% went into the workforce, which means about 70% of Concordia’s graduates were pursuing postsecondary education – or had already earned it.  

Those results are reflected in the postsecondary effective rate, which is designed to measure the percentage of each graduating class who have graduated high school who have either earned an industry-recognized credential, technical certificate, or a college degree or are enrolled in a postsecondary program two years after their senior year in high school.  

Concordia educators say they benefit immensely from sharing the same city with Cloud County Community College, from which students earned 94% of concurrent and dual enrollment courses. They have also partnered with the Northwest Kansas Technical College in Beloit for programs like diesel mechanics and auto collision repair. Concordia students are bussed to Beloit and back to their high school for required courses, or the college sends the teachers to the high school.  

However, the district has also worked to expand its Career Tech Ed pathways, going from six to nine programs over the past several years and focusing on student interests and local employment needs. For example, Concordia added the health sciences pathway in response to local demands for nursing positions and shifted its welding program to include more agricultural welding.  

Concordia is also unique in requiring all students to take at least one CTE credit to graduate from high school, which will fit into the State Board of Education's new graduation requirements taking effect in four years. Kansas State Department of Education data shows that students who take at least two CTE courses are more likely to graduate high school and, on average, have higher scores on state assessments.    

Like most districts, Concordia faces challenges recruiting staff, and like other districts I visited in the area, they focus on nurturing educators from their own community, including working to help community members receive the necessary training to become certified teachers through alternative routes. Many district leaders and educators are from Concordia, whether they have lived there continuously or moved back from other communities.  

They also stress the need to shape education to fit the needs of students. “If kids can’t learn the way we teach, we have to figure out how to teach the way they learn,” said superintendent Quentin Breeze. Principal Chad Eshbaugh agreed: “We need to stay at the forefront of being creative with helping kids. Find classes they enjoy, provide them guidance and structure to get to where they want to go with quality staff.”  

While the high school has found success, district leaders say it has to be built in the lower grades, and like every district, they say more students are struggling with deeper social, emotional and behavioral needs that affect learning. In response, they point to the expansion of preschool programs that began more than twelve years ago, emphasizing social and emotional support that stresses retention, safety and relationships, embracing the Multi-tier System of Support model to provide individualized intervention and support and professional development.  

“From our cooks to our teachers, to everyone in between, they just care about these kids,” said Concordia Elementary School Assistant Principal and Curriculum Director Krystal Breese. “We just work on fostering an environment where the kids know they're cared for and loved. We want to prepare them so when they leave here and go to the middle school or the high school that they can just continue to develop and become successful citizens.”  

Bright Idea: Concordia district leaders had high praise for their monthly “wrap around” meetings that involve school officials with various state and local agencies, from social services to law enforcement, to address the needs of the most challenging students. “We used to have a tendency to just point fingers,” said Superintendent Breeze. “Everybody thought some else wasn’t doing their jobs, whether school or Department of Children and Families, or the police or prosecutor. When we sat down and started talking, we learned about everyone’s limitations. It usually wasn’t as simple as we thought. Now, if we can get the best minds in Concordia at the table to have a conversation, the problems may still be massive, but we can find ways for everyone to do their past together, we can get more done.”  

District Profile: With about 1,084 students, Concordia is one of the larger districts among the 500 to 1,600 enrollment group and its 66.9% low-income plus students with disabilities rate is close to the state average. But since 2017, Concordia raised its graduation rate 12.6%, 11.9% higher than predicted for its enrollment and high-needs students, and its five-year average (2016-2020) postsecondary effective rate of 64% is 11.7% higher than predicted. (Concordia was slightly below the predicted rate for 2022 assessments but slightly above predictions for change in state assessments; and slightly above predicted for 2022 graduation rate.)