Best Schools in Manhattan, Kansas

Manhattan, Kansas gives parents 13 ranked public schools to evaluate, with a city average of 6.8 out of 10. That average sits just below the 7.0 mark — but nearly half the schools clear it. Six of the 13, or 46%, score 7.0 or above, forming a solid upper tier that families with options will want to target first.

The elementary level drives most of Manhattan's strongest performance. Bluemont Elementary leads the city with a 9.1 out of 10, a score that stands sharply above the 6.8 city average and signals a school performing at a meaningfully different level than its peers. Four other elementary schools cluster just below it: Marlatt Elementary at 8.4, Amanda Arnold Elementary at 8.2, Northview Elementary at 8.0, and Lee Elementary at 7.9. All five sit comfortably above the city average, and all five are ranked among the city's best. For parents with children in elementary grades, Manhattan offers a concentrated set of strong options — assuming attendance boundaries or open enrollment allow access.

The remaining 7 of 13 ranked schools score below 7.0, pulling the city average down. This split matters when making side-by-side comparisons: Manhattan's best schools are genuinely strong, but the city-wide picture is more mixed than the top-school scores alone suggest. Parents evaluating Manhattan against peer Kansas cities should treat the 46% above-7.0 rate as the more honest summary figure — it captures both the high ceiling and the spread below it.

For practical research, start by identifying which schools serve your specific address, then score those schools individually rather than anchoring to the city average. The 9.1 at Bluemont and the cluster of 7.9 to 8.4 scores nearby establish a clear performance benchmark for the city's upper tier. Use attendance zone maps alongside school scores to build a realistic shortlist before visiting.