Education Alternatives in Wichita, Kansas

The city of Wichita is served by the Wichita Unified School District (USD 259) and portions of the Derby (USD 260), Haysville (USD 261), and Maize (USD 266) school districts. As the primary district for the region, however, the Wichita School District holds a total of 85 regular schools. The 57 elementary schools consist of both traditional neighborhood schools and magnet schools with a variety of teaching themes. The district's 17 middle schools include 4 with magnet programs, offering focused lesson plans for students interested in specific classes. Of the district's 11 high schools, 7 are traditional, comprehensive high schools, 3 are alternative high schools which provide a smaller learning environment for students, and one, Northeast Magnet High School, provides intensive focus on visual arts, science and law.

The WSD also has 15 special schools dedicated to early childhood education, non-traditional learners, special education, and other programs: While the early childhood education schools offer young children a chance at a head-start in their education, the non-traditional learner schools offer a chance for K-12 students to study online, repeat a course which they were unsuccessful with previously, or complete their high school diploma after dropping out. The special education schools serve students with learning disabilities and emotional or behavioural problems. The two schools based on other programs are the Judge Riddel Boys Ranch and the Juvenile Detention Facility, both serving juvenile students.

Wichita is also home to 31 different private schools of varying grade ranges and religious affiliations, including nonsectarian, Roman Catholic, Christian, Adventist, Islamic, Lutheran, Protestant, and Friends. For a full list of Wichita's public schools, go to here

Wichita State University is the most prominent of the post-secondary educational facilities in the city, and offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in six undergraduate colleges: W. Frank Barton School of Business, College of Education, College of Engineering, College of Fine Arts, College of Health Professions, and Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Friends University is another of Wichita's facilities, and one of two schools in the city affiliated to the Religious Society of Friends, the other being Wichita Friend's School Inc., a private elementary school. Other facilities in and around Wichita, Kansas include Newman University, Wichita Area Technical College, Wichita Technical Institute, Butler Community College, University of Kansas School of Medicine - Wichita, Cowley County Community College, University of Phoenix--Wichita Campus, Baker University, Tabor College, and Southwestern College - Winfield Kansas.