USD 470 District Office

What USD 470 District Office does

USD 470 District Office, legally Unified School District No. 470 of Cowley County, Kansas, and operating under the brand Arkansas City Public Schools, is a public K-12 school district headquartered in Arkansas City, Kansas. Founded in 1872, the district serves approximately 3,000 students from PreK through 12th grade across nine schools: six elementary schools (Adams, C-4, Frances Willard, IXL, Jefferson, and Roosevelt), one middle school (Arkansas City Middle School), one high school (Arkansas City High School), and one alternative community day school. The district employs approximately 400 staff and offers comprehensive programs including special education, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) serving 22% of students, Career and Technical Education (CTE), athletics, and a blended PreK/Head Start early childhood program.

The district operates a technology stack built on standard K-12 edtech platforms: PowerSchool for student information management and online enrollment, TalkingPoints for multi-language family communication (100+ languages), Nutrislice for meal menus, Yondr pouches for phone-free policies in secondary schools, Finalsite for the district website, RevTrak for fee payments, and Bound/GoBound for athletics registration. The district also integrates accessibility tools (AudioEye, Weglot) and maintains a Greenbush Virtual Academy for online learning alternatives. Food service is outsourced to Chartwells under a partnership arrangement.

USD 470 is a government state entity funded through state aid under the Kansas school finance formula, local property taxes (current mill levy of 7.27 mills for 2024-25), federal programs (Title I, special education, nutrition), grants, and fees. The district is governed by a seven-member elected Board of Education with four-year terms and is led by Superintendent Will Pfannenstiel. In November 2025, voters approved a combined $66.765 million bond package ($52.7M Proposition 1 for middle school renovations and districtwide improvements; $14.04M Proposition 2 for a new PreK center), with construction management awarded to McCownGordon Construction in May 2026. The district serves a high-need community with 69.6% free/reduced lunch eligibility, and complies with FERPA, Title IX, ADA, Section 504, CIPA, and AHERA federal regulations.

Name

USD 470 District Office

Legal name

Unified School District No. 470

Website

https://usd470.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1872

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

USD 470 District Office (Arkansas City Public Schools) is a public K-12 school district in Cowley County, Kansas, serving approximately 3,000 PreK-12 students across 9 schools with 400 employees, funded through state aid, local property taxes, and federal programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public School Districts (K–12) (EDADABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB), Public Career & Technical Education (CTE) Centers & Programs (EDAJAAAJ), Public Special Education Schools & Programs (EDAJAAAH), Online Credit Recovery & Alternative Pathways (Virtual) (EDAJADAF), Head Start & Public Pre-K Programs (EDACABAK)

Keywords

• K-12 public education
• Early childhood education
• Special education services
• Student transportation services
• School food service

Headquarters

HQ city

Arkansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. State Aid: State funding based on student enrollment and student needs through Kansas school finance formula.
2. Local Property Taxes: Local property tax revenue supporting daily operations, facilities, and voter-approved bonds. Current mill levy information provided on district website with Revenue Neutral Rate considerations.
3. Federal Programs: Federal funds supporting programs including special education, nutrition, and Title I.
4. Grants: Additional funding through grants for specific programs and initiatives.
5. Fees and Other Revenue: Fees from various school programs and activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

USD 470 District Office (Arkansas City Public Schools) is a unified public K-12 school district that delivers comprehensive education to approximately 3,000 students from PreK through 12th grade across nine school buildings in Arkansas City, Cowley County, Kansas. Its offerings span early childhood education (PreK/Head Start), core academic instruction, Career and Technical Education (CTE), Special Education, English Learners (ESOL) support, athletics and activities, food service, transportation, and health services. The district also operates the Greenbush Virtual Academy for online learners and serves as a community resource through FEMA-approved storm shelters at all elementary schools.

Product overview

USD 470 District Office (Arkansas City Public Schools) is a comprehensive public school district offering a unified K-12 educational system. The district operates six elementary schools (PreK-5th grade), one middle school (6th-8th grade), one high school (9th-12th grade), and one alternative community day school, serving approximately 3,000 students. Key programs include a blended PreK/Head Start early childhood program, comprehensive athletics and activities (middle and high school sports, band, choir, FFA, NHS, and numerous clubs), Special Education services, ESOL/English Learners program, Career and Technical Education (CTE), food services (partnered with Chartwells), transportation, and health services. The district uses PowerSchool for student information management, TalkingPoints for family communication, Bound/GoBound for athletics registration, and RevTrak for online payments. The Technology Department provides IT support across the district.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Arkansas City Public Schools K-12 Education Comprehensive public school system delivering PreK through 12th grade education to approximately 3,000 students across six elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, and one alternative community day school in Arkansas City, Kansas.
• PreK Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 69.6% free/reduced lunch eligibility rate - indicates high-need student population served
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SCK HealthminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2026SCK Health provides sports physicals for Arkansas City Middle School and High School student-athletes on designated dates, supporting student participation in athletics.
• McCownGordon ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2026McCownGordon Construction was selected by the Board of Education as the construction manager for USD 470's upcoming $66.765 million bond projects including middle school renovations and a new Pre-K center.
• Legacy Regional Community FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 February 2025Received $1,500 grant from Legacy Regional Community Foundation to support the Read and Stroll event promoting early literacy and family engagement, with funding for interactive games and family activities.
• Chartwells Food ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSD 470 partners with Chartwells Food Service to provide quality, nutritious meals and cafeteria services for students. Chartwells manages food service operations including meal preparation, with John Dohrman serving as Director of Food Service. The partnership aims to provide satisfying meals that support student learning.
• Cowley CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIXL Elementary partnered with Cowley College for the Boost Self-Esteem/Hair Confidence program, including a Spa Day at Cowley College where cosmetology students provided hair styling and nail care services to participating elementary students.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• TalkingPoints: Provider of USD 470's multilingual family communication platform. A specialized ed-tech vendor serving the same K-12 public district segment with a focus on family engagement.
• PowerSchool: Provider of USD 470's student information system. Comparable as a core ed-tech vendor to the same customer segment (K-12 public districts) and as a benchmark for K-12 digital infrastructure spending.
• Chartwells Food Service: K-12 food service management partner of USD 470 and many other school districts nationwide. Comparable as an upstream service provider to the same customer set (public K-12 districts).
• Bound (GoBound): Provider of athletics registration and scheduling platforms used by USD 470. Comparable as an ed-tech specialist serving K-12 activities/athletics departments.
• Cowley College: Local community college partner of USD 470 (IXL Elementary cosmetology/Spa Day, Boost Self-Esteem program). Comparable as an educational services provider in the same geographic catchment, providing CTE pathway alignment.

Regional players

• USD 308 Hutchinson: Larger Kansas public school district serving Reno County. Comparable on regulatory environment and state funding model but operates at greater scale and in a more urban setting.

Direct peers

• Greenbush Virtual Academy: Provider of the virtual learning option accessed by USD 470 students through Greenbush Virtual Academy. A direct partner AND peer in the Kansas online/virtual education space.
• USD 266 Maize: Kansas public school district of comparable enrollment size (~3,000–4,000 students) operating under the same state finance formula. Useful comparator for budget benchmarks and per-pupil metrics.
• USD 465 Winfield: Neighboring Cowley County, Kansas public school district (Winfield) of similar size and rural character. Most directly comparable peer because it shares the same county, state funding formula, and demographic profile.

Broad incumbents

• USD 259 Wichita: Largest Kansas public school district; operates under the same state policy framework but at an order-of-magnitude larger scale. Useful as a benchmark for broader Kansas K-12 trends and policy exposure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ArkCitySchools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arkcityschools
• Instagraminstagram.com/arkcityschools
• Xx.com/arkcitymiddle

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about USD 470 District Office