Olathe School District

Olathe Unified School District
Location
Olathe, Kansas
District information
Type Local public school district
Motto Students Prepared for Their Future.
Grades Pre-K-12
Established 1965 (1965)
Superintendent John Allison
Accreditation(s) Kansas State Department of Education
Budget $232,386,058
District ID 2010140[1]
Students and staff
Students 29,622
Teachers 1859.4 FTE
Staff 1711.1 FTE
Other information
Website www.olatheschools.com

The Olathe Unified School District (Kansas Unified School District 233) is one of the major school districts in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and is one of the larger school districts in the state of Kansas. There are nearly 30,000 students enrolled in the district, which currently operates 5 high schools, 10 middle schools, and 34 elementary schools, as well as a number of additional educational and support facilities.

Portions of the city of Olathe make up 66% of the district's territory. Areas of Lenexa make up 19%, sections of Overland Park make up 8%, and portions of Shawnee make up less than 1%. Unincorporated areas make up about 6% of the territory.[2]

History

The district was created in 1965 from the consolidation of the Countryside, Meadowlane, Mount Zion, Olathe, and Pleasant View districts.[2] Wayne Fick became the first superintendent of the newly unified district. At the time of its creation, there were 3687 students attending a single high school, junior high school, and 5 elementary schools.

M.L. Winters was named superintendent in 1968, and served in that role for 23 years until 1991 - the longest tenure of any superintendent in Olathe history. During that time, district enrollment increased from 4433 to 15,357 students, and 22 new facilities were constructed or rebuilt. The district continued to grow at a rapid pace under the leadership of superintendents Ron Wimmer (1991-2005) and Patricia All (2005-2010, 2016-17), Marlin Berry (2010-2016), and John Allison (2017- ). In 2010, the district recorded an official enrollment of 27,999, becoming the second largest school district in Kansas.

Beginning in 2009, the district launched a new K-5, 6-8, 9-12 grade configuration. Prior to this time, students in grades 10-12 were assigned to high schools, grades 7-9 to junior high schools, and grades K-6 in elementary schools. As part of this transition, all junior highs were rebranded as middle schools. The transition to this new configuration was completed in 2011.[3][4] In August 2014, it was announced that construction would begin on Olathe's fifth high school, Olathe West High School.[5]

Demographics

As of September 2016, there were 29,622 students enrolled in the school district, which is operated by 4,442 staff/faculty.[6] The vast majority (83.2%) of students are drawn from Olathe, Kansas with the remainder of students living in the neighboring cities of Overland Park (10.1%), Lenexa (5.9%), Shawnee (0.1%), unincorporated areas of Johnson County, Kansas (0.3%), or outside the district (0.4%). The general population of the district boundaries is 158,000, with a median age of 33.2 years old.

The district has a high school graduation rate of 92.9%, with average class sizes as follows:

  • Elementary Schools: 20.5
  • Middle Schools: 22.0
  • High Schools: 25.5

Racially/ethnically, the student body is predominantly (69.1%) White/Caucasian. The largest minority groups are Hispanic/Latino (15.0%), Black/African American (7.0%), and Asian (4.3%).[6]

Leadership

In 2017, John Allison was appointed as district superintendent, replacing outgoing superintendent Dr. Patricia All. Dr. Alison Banikowski and Dr. Erin Dugan serve as deputy and assistant superintendents, respectively.[7]

The Olathe Board of Education is currently composed of the following members (term and district):[8]

  • Joe Beveridge (2015-19, At Large)
  • LeEtta Felter (2015-19, District 1)
  • Amy Martin (2013–17, District 2)
  • Rick Schier, President (2015-19, District 2)
  • Brent McCune, Vice President (2013–17, District 3)
  • Mike Poland (2013–17, District 3)
  • Shannon Wickliffe (2015–19, District 1)

Facilities

High Schools[4][9]
NameDate OpenedEnrollment (As of 2012)
Olathe East High School19922045
Olathe North High School19581926
Olathe Northwest High School20031729
Olathe South High School19812005
Olathe West High School2017
Middle Schools[4][9]
NameDate OpenedEnrollment (As of 2012)
California Trail Middle School1996933
Chisholm Trail Middle School2000703
Frontier Trail Middle School1989802
Indian Trail Middle School1981709
Mission Trail Middle School2010652
Oregon Trail Middle School1976437
Pioneer Trail Middle School1986707
Prairie Trail Middle School2004687
Santa Fe Trail Middle School1968634
Summit Trail Middle School2018
Elementary Schools[4][9]
NameDate OpenedEnrollment (As of 2012)
Arbor Creek Elementary School2002613
Bentwood Elementary School1996366
Black Bob Elementary School1978310
Briarwood Elementary School1988197
Brougham Elementary School1985428
Cedar Creek Elementary School1997490
Central Elementary School1952 (originally opened in 1882)269
Clearwater Creek Elementary School2004384
Countryside Elementary School1988415
Fairview Elementary School1964321
Forest View Elementary School2009377
Green Springs Elementary School1991319
Havencroft Elementary School1972271
Heatherstone Elementary School1995477
Heritage Elementary School1988335
Indian Creek Elementary School1985444
Madison Place Elementary School2007488
Mahaffie Elementary School1991401
Manchester Park Elementary School2004627
Meadow Lane Elementary School1953374
Millbrooke Elementary School2014300
Northview Elementary School1967261
Pleasant Ridge Elementary School1991365
Prairie Center Elementary School1980351
Ravenwood Elementary School2005601
Regency Place Elementary School1999586
Ridgeview Elementary School1956261
Rolling Ridge Elementary School1972400
Scarborough Elementary School1977344
Sunnyside Elementary School2000560
Tomahawk Elementary School1980358
Walnut Grove Elementary School1985375
Washington Elementary School1975 (originally opened in 1889)443
Westview Elementary School1954241
Woodland Elementary School2008392
Specialty Schools[4][9]
NameRole/PurposeDate OpenedEnrollment (As of 2012)
Harmony Early Childhood CenterPreschool2006155
Heartland Early Childhood Center (originally Heartland Developmental Learning Center)Preschool197681
Johnson County Juvenile Hall Educational ProgramJuvenile Detention67
Olathe Advanced Technical CenterVocational school
Prairie Learning Center2007
Other Facilities[4]
NameRole/PurposeDate Opened
College Boulevard Activity CenterStudent Athletics2003
District Education Center1996
Food Production Center1990
Instructional Resource Center1989
Lone Elm Service Center2004
North Lindenwood Support Center1987
Olathe District Activity CenterStudent Athletics1991
Operations Service Center1985
Technology Support CenterI.T. Support2014
West Dennis Support Center1983 (originally opened in 1966)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Olathe". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved Aug 17, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "History." Olathe School District. Retrieved on June 5, 2018.
  3. ↑ "USD 233 Olathe Public Schools History" (PDF). Olathe Public Schools USD 233. Retrieved 17 Aug 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Growth and Facilities Impact Report" (PDF). Olathe Public Schools USD 233. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  5. ↑ Alonzo, Austin (July 30, 2014). "McCownGordon, Hollis + Miller work on new Olathe high school". Kansas City Business Journal. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  6. 1 2 "USD 233 Olathe Publis Schools District Overview". Olathe Public Schools USD 233. November 9, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Administrators". Olathe Public Schools USD 233. Retrieved 17 Aug 2013.
  8. ↑ "Meet Our Board of Education". Olathe Public Schools USD 233. Retrieved 17 Aug 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Enrollment Report". Olathe Public Schools USD 233. Retrieved 17 Aug 2013.
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