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Arkansas City, Kansas - 8 schools
An equity score of 53/100 ranks Arkansas City #117 of 250 districts in Kansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,387 per pupil, Arkansas City ranks #206 of 285 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending (Kansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,887
Total Enrollment
8
Schools
$13,387
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Arkansas City operates 8 public schools serving 2,887 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Kansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Cowley County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,387 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 285 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Kansas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 12.1% local, 81.1% state, and 6.8% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 53/100, ranked #117 of 250 in Kansas against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 8 schools offering Advanced Placement (5 AP courses district-wide), a 486.7:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 36.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 54.2% White, 34.0% Hispanic or Latino, 2.6% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Frances Willard Elem, with a diversity index of 63.1/100.
Its largest campus is Arkansas City High, enrolling 885 students (30% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is C 4 Elem, at 122 students, a 7x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Arkansas City High accounts for 30.5% of all Arkansas City student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Arkansas City-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Arkansas City school enrollment varies 7.3× across entities
Arkansas City school enrollment ranges from 122 students (lowest) to 885 students (highest), a spread of 763 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Arkansas City has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 66.3% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Arkansas City student-counselor ratio is 487:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Arkansas City chronic absenteeism rate is 36.3% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Arkansas City has 8 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 6 combined. Total enrollment is 2,887 students.
How much does Arkansas City spend per student?
Arkansas City spends $13,387 per student. The district has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #117 in Kansas.
What is the demographic composition of Arkansas City?
Arkansas City students are 54.2% White, 34.0% Hispanic or Latino, 2.6% African American, 0.1% Asian, averaged across 8 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Arkansas City?
Arkansas City has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #117 out of 250 districts in Kansas.