Coronado Elem vs Meadowlark Ridge Elem

Coronado Elem and Meadowlark Ridge Elem sit just 3.5 miles apart in Salina, Kansas, and both rank among the top 40 elementary schools in the state — Coronado Elem at #29 of 1,293 Kansas schools and Meadowlark Ridge Elem at #37 of 1,293. The overall rating gap between them is just 0.1 points (9.2 vs. 9.1 out of 10), meaning parents are choosing between two genuinely high-performing schools, not a strong option versus a weak one.

The sharpest academic contrast runs in opposite directions depending on what you measure. Meadowlark Ridge Elem scores higher on current academic proficiency at 8.9/10 versus Coronado Elem's 8.1/10 — a gap of 0.8 points. Coronado Elem more than offsets this on student growth, however, posting a 9.8/10 growth score against Meadowlark Ridge Elem's 9.2/10. That 0.6-point growth advantage signals that Coronado Elem is accelerating students at an exceptional rate relative to their starting points, even as Meadowlark Ridge Elem's students arrive and test at a higher absolute level.

Demographically, the two schools differ more than the rating gap suggests. Coronado Elem enrolls 400 students with 49% qualifying for free or reduced lunch; Meadowlark Ridge Elem enrolls 432 students with 34% qualifying. That 15-percentage-point FRL difference reflects meaningfully distinct family income profiles across the two campuses. Coronado Elem also offers a lower student-teacher ratio — 12.5:1 versus 13.5:1 at Meadowlark Ridge Elem — giving it one additional student per teacher fewer on average, which can matter for classroom attention at the elementary level.

Both schools serve grades PK through 05, so grade range is not a differentiator. The distinction is narrower: one school (Meadowlark Ridge Elem) enters with stronger tested proficiency, while the other (Coronado Elem) demonstrates stronger year-over-year student growth and a smaller class size, serving a higher-need population in the process.