Public vs. private: See top schools and how the dynamic has grown through the decades
.JPG "Wichita Independent state championship boys swimming and diving team (left to right): Coach Mitchell Wagner, junior Joshua Jacobsen, sophomore Matthew Janssen, senior Edward Sturm, senior Aidan Scott, junior George Jekov and sophomore Daniel Jekov.")
The debate over the public-private high school dynamic in Kansas never dies.
Countless data points and variables feed and inform discussion about the topic. Here’s a look at the top public and private high schools in Kansas, ordered by number of state championships, and how the gap has closed through the decades as more private schools have opened.
To see the full dataset, click here
Public School Champions
| Public high school | Titles |
| Shawnee Mission East | 92 |
| Lawrence | 91 |
| Wichita East | 77 |
| Shawnee Mission Northwest | 67 |
| Blue Valley North | 65 |
| Olathe East | 55 |
| Silver Lake | 53 |
| Wyandotte | 49 |
| Shawnee Mission South | 45 |
| Washburn Rural | 44 |
| Manhattan | 41 |
| Arkansas City | 41 |
| Baldwin | 41 |
| Baileyville B&B/Seneca Nemaha Central | 41 |
| Grainfield Wheatland/Grinnell | 38 |
| Wichita Southeast | 37 |
| Buhler | 37 |
| McPherson | 36 |
| Liberal | 35 |
| Bushton Quivira Heights/Holyrood/Claflin/Central Plains | 35 |
| Concordia | 34 |
| Johnson Stanton County | 34 |
| Centralia | 33 |
| Lenora/Norton | 30 |
| Hutchinson | 29 |
| Shallow Water/Scott City | 29 |
| Blue Valley Northwest | 28 |
| Stilwell Blue Valley | 28 |
| Salina Central | 28 |
| Andale | 28 |
| Garden Plain | 28 |
| Wichita South | 27 |
| Newton | 27 |
| Berryton/Tecumseh Shawnee Heights | 26 |
| Leavenworth | 26 |
| Moundridge | 26 |
| Blue Valley West | 25 |
| Wichita Heights | 24 |
| Shawnee Mission North | 24 |
| Wichita North | 23 |
| Derby | 22 |
| Emporia | 22 |
| Great Bend | 22 |
| Topeka Seaman | 22 |
| Clay Center | 22 |
| Hesston | 22 |
| Bogue/Morland/Hill City | 22 |
| Assaria/Kipp/Gypsum Southeast of Saline | 21 |
| St. John Hudson | 21 |
| Olathe North | 20 |
| Shawnee Mission West | 20 |
| Andover | 20 |
| Goddard | 20 |
| Topeka West | 20 |
| Conway Springs | 20 |
| Abilene | 19 |
| Ottawa | 19 |
| St. Marys | 19 |
| Lebanon/Smith Center | 19 |
| Garden City | 18 |
| Junction City | 18 |
| Olathe South | 18 |
| Hays | 18 |
| Winfield | 18 |
| Lindsborg Smoky Valley | 18 |
| Hanover | 18 |
| Tribune Greeley County | 18 |
| Topeka | 17 |
| Maize | 17 |
| Augusta | 17 |
| Edson/Goodland | 17 |
| Riley County | 17 |
| Hoxie | 17 |
| Salina South | 16 |
| Parsons | 16 |
| Beloit | 16 |
| Durham/Hillsboro | 16 |
| Little River Windom Geneseo | 16 |
| Olpe | 16 |
| St. Francis | 16 |
| Victoria | 16 |
| Lawrence Free State | 15 |
| Independence | 15 |
| Wamego | 15 |
| Halstead | 15 |
| Lakin | 15 |
| Atwood Rawlins County | 15 |
| Sumner Academy | 14 |
| Coffeyville Field Kindley | 14 |
| Hoisington | 14 |
| Marysville | 14 |
| Sabetha | 14 |
| Burrton | 14 |
| Burr Oak White Rock/Mankato Rock Hills | 14 |
| Douglass | 13 |
| Colby | 13 |
| Columbus | 13 |
| Hanston/Jetmore/Hodgeman County | 13 |
| Montezuma South Gray | 13 |
| Osborne | 13 |
| Andover Central | 12 |
| Wellington | 12 |
| Holton | 12 |
| Holcomb | 12 |
| Bennington | 12 |
| Elmdale/Strong City/Cottonwood Falls Chase County | 12 |
| Oakley | 12 |
| Sterling | 12 |
| Ashland | 12 |
| Quinter | 12 |
| Wichita Northwest | 11 |
| Mount Hope/Partridge/Haven | 11 |
| Carbondale Santa Fe Trail | 11 |
| Larned | 11 |
| Belleville Republic County | 11 |
| Elmdale/Strong City/Cottonwood Falls Chase County | 11 |
| Pretty Prairie | 11 |
| Almena Northern Valley | 11 |
| Ness City | 11 |
| Oberlin Decatur County | 11 |
| Protection/Coldwater South Central | 11 |
| Wichita West | 10 |
| Topeka Highland Park | 10 |
| Blue Valley Southwest | 10 |
| Nickerson | 10 |
| Kansas City Piper | 10 |
| Anthony/Harper-Chaparral | 10 |
| Clifton Clyde | 10 |
| Denton/Altoona Midway | 10 |
| Sharon Springs Wallace County | 10 |
| Haysville Campus | 9 |
| Rose Hill | 9 |
| Ulysses | 9 |
| Baxter Springs | 9 |
| Lyons | 9 |
| Ellsworth | 9 |
| Inman | 9 |
| Soldier/Jackson Heights | 9 |
| Sublette | 9 |
| Downs Lakeside | 9 |
| Lucas Luray/Sylvan Grove | 9 |
| Shawnee Mill Valley | 8 |
| Bonner Springs | 8 |
| Spring Hill | 8 |
| Mulvane | 8 |
| Cheney | 8 |
| Hugoton | 8 |
| Allen Americus Northern Heights | 8 |
| Ellinwood | 8 |
| Nortonville/Winchester Jefferson County North | 8 |
| Rossville | 8 |
| Courtland/Scandia Pike Valley | 8 |
| Natoma/Paradise | 8 |
| Washington County | 8 |
| Lawrence Haskell | 7 |
| El Dorado | 7 |
| Fort Scott | 7 |
| Pratt | 7 |
| Atchison | 7 |
| Paola | 7 |
| Osage City | 7 |
| Riverton | 7 |
| Plainville | 7 |
| Spearville/Windthorst | 7 |
| Syracuse | 7 |
| Frankfort | 7 |
| Stockton | 7 |
| Waverly | 7 |
| Winona Triplains Brewster | 7 |
| Wichita | 6 |
| Salina | 6 |
| Olathe | 6 |
| Dodge City | 6 |
| Olathe Northwest | 6 |
| Lansing | 6 |
| Clearwater | 6 |
| Kingman | 6 |
| Atchison County | 6 |
| Frontenac | 6 |
| Southwestern Heights | 6 |
| Russell | 6 |
| Wellsville | 6 |
| Canton Galva | 6 |
| Blue Rapids Valley Heights | 6 |
| Leoti Wichita County | 6 |
| Medicine Lodge | 6 |
| Richmond Central Heights | 6 |
| WaKeeney Trego | 6 |
| Bucklin | 6 |
| Macksville | 6 |
| Meade | 6 |
| Mullinville/Greensburg Haviland Kiowa County | 6 |
| Sylvia/Langdon Fairfield | 6 |
| Wakefield | 6 |
| Shawnee Mission | 5 |
| Gardner Edgerton | 5 |
| De Soto | 5 |
| Chapman | 5 |
| Iola | 5 |
| Fredonia | 5 |
| Minneapolis | 5 |
| Phillipsburg | 5 |
| Alma Wabaunsee | 5 |
| Marion Florence | 5 |
| Norwich | 5 |
| Burdett/Rozel Pawnee Heights | 5 |
| Kinsley | 5 |
| Lincoln | 5 |
| Goddard Eisenhower | 4 |
| Benton/Towanda Circle | 4 |
| Chanute | 4 |
| Girard | 4 |
| Caney Valley | 4 |
| Council Grove/Wilsey | 4 |
| Hiawatha | 4 |
| Leon Bluestem | 4 |
| Brookville Ell-Saline | 4 |
| Elkhart | 4 |
| Ellis | 4 |
| Eskridge Harveyville Mission Valley | 4 |
| Herington | 4 |
| Pratt Skyline | 4 |
| Goessel | 4 |
| Fowler | 4 |
| Highland Doniphan West | 4 |
| Kensington West Smith County/Thunder Ridge | 4 |
| Kiowa South Barber | 4 |
| Lebo | 4 |
| Logan Palco | 4 |
| Madison Hamilton | 4 |
| McCracken/La Crosse | 4 |
| Ransom/Healy/Western Plains | 4 |
| Lewis | 3 |
| Maize South | 3 |
| Pittsburg | 3 |
| Basehor-Linwood | 3 |
| Eudora | 3 |
| Burlington | 3 |
| Cimarron | 3 |
| Garnett Anderson County | 3 |
| Humboldt | 3 |
| Chautauqua/Sedan | 3 |
| Erie | 3 |
| Lyndon | 3 |
| Udall | 3 |
| Attica | 3 |
| Axtell | 3 |
| Dighton | 3 |
| Lost Springs Centre | 3 |
| Melvern/Quenemo/Marais Des Cygnes Valley | 3 |
| Oxford | 3 |
| Ransom/Healy/Western Plains | 3 |
| Rolla | 3 |
| St. Paul | 3 |
| Troy | 3 |
| Reno County | 2 |
| Valley Center | 2 |
| Schlagle | 2 |
| Washington | 2 |
| Louisburg | 2 |
| Council Grove/Dwight/Wilsey | 2 |
| Galena | 2 |
| Hoyt Royal Valley | 2 |
| Westmoreland/St. George Rock Creek | 2 |
| Perry Lecompton | 2 |
| Belle Plaine | 2 |
| Yates Center | 2 |
| Argonia | 2 |
| Peabody Burns | 2 |
| Burden Central | 2 |
| Burlingame | 2 |
| Caldwell | 2 |
| Deerfield | 2 |
| Hope/Rural Vista | 2 |
| Linn | 2 |
| Selden/Rexford Golden Plains | 2 |
| Stafford | 2 |
| Weskan | 2 |
| Rosedale | 1 |
| Cawker City Waconda East | 1 |
| Kansas Vocational School | 1 |
| Nashville Zenda | 1 |
| Olathe West | 1 |
| Turner | 1 |
| Tonganoxie | 1 |
| Easton Pleasant Ridge | 1 |
| Eureka | 1 |
| LaCygne Priairie View | 1 |
| Meriden Jefferson West | 1 |
| Neodesha | 1 |
| Parker/Prairie View | 1 |
| Osawatomie | 1 |
| Thayer/Cherryvale | 1 |
| Sedgwick | 1 |
| Whitewater Remington | 1 |
| Oskaloosa | 1 |
| Arma Northeast | 1 |
| Horton | 1 |
| Howard West Elk | 1 |
| Cunningham | 1 |
| Ingalls | 1 |
| Miltonvale/Southern Cloud | 1 |
| Minneola | 1 |
| Moscow | 1 |
| Onaga | 1 |
| Otis Bison | 1 |
| Satanta | 1 |
| Solomon | 1 |
| South Haven | 1 |
| Tescott | 1 |
| Valley Falls | 1 |
| Wilson | 1 |
To see the full dataset, click here
Private School Champions
| Private high schools | Titles |
| St. Thomas Aquinas | 110 |
| Bishop Miege | 106 |
| Wichita Collegiate | 89 |
| Kapaun Mt. Carmel | 86 |
| Topeka Hayden | 62 |
| Bishop Carroll | 61 |
| Salina Sacred Heart | 40 |
| St. Mary’s Colgan | 38 |
| St. James Academy | 25 |
| Bishop Ward | 19 |
| Kansas City Christian | 15 |
| Beloit St. John’s Tipton | 15 |
| Wichita Independent | 14 |
| Maranatha Academy | 13 |
| Elbing Berean Academy | 12 |
| Wichita Trinity Academy | 11 |
| Hays Thomas More Prep | 10 |
| Hutchinson Trinity | 9 |
| Leavenworth Immaculata | 6 |
| Atchison Maur Hill | 6 |
| Hays St. Joseph | 2 |
| Heritage Christian Academy | 2 |
| Shawnee St. Joseph | 1 |
| Bishop Seabury | 1 |
| Central Christian | 1 |
To see the full dataset, click here
Hayden Barber
The Wichita Eagle