Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Buhler, Kansas - 6 schools
An equity score of 15/100 ranks Buhler #239 of 252 districts in Kansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,534 per pupil, Buhler ranks #272 of 286 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending (Kansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Buhler operates 6 public schools serving 2,564 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Kansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Reno County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,534 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the bottom 29 of 286 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Kansas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 26.5% local, 66.6% state, and 6.9% 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 15/100, ranked #239 of 252 in Kansas against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 6 schools offering Advanced Placement (2 AP courses district-wide), a 398.6:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 22.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 83.6% White, 11.0% Hispanic or Latino, 2.4% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Ad Astra Virtual Academy, with a diversity index of 42.2/100.
Its largest campus is Buhler High, enrolling 674 students (27% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Ad Astra Virtual Academy, at 171 students, a 4x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
That concentration means Buhler-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: high. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Buhler school enrollment ranges from 171 students (lowest) to 674 students (highest), a spread of 503 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.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
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.
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 Variation between sub-units within Buhler is typically wider than the Buhler-aggregate figure suggests.
This district scores below average on funding equity. High reliance on local revenue or lower spending may contribute.
Average demographic composition across 6 schools in Buhler.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Buhler's schools, below the Kansas average of 39.4.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Buhler High | 674 |
| Prairie Hills Middle | 532 |
| Plum Creek Elementary | 448 |
| Union Valley Elem | 435 |
| Buhler Grade School | 241 |
| Ad Astra Virtual Academy | 171 |
The Kansas districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonner Springs | Similar size | Higher spending | Similar funding mix |
| Lansing | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Ottawa | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Piper-Kansas City | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Mcpherson | Similar size | Higher spending | More locally funded |
Comparisons are relative to Buhler's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Wichita →Buhler has 6 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 4 combined. Total enrollment is 2,564 students.
Buhler spends $11,534 per student. The district has an equity score of 15/100, ranking #239 in Kansas.
Buhler students are 83.6% White, 11.0% Hispanic or Latino, 2.4% African American, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Buhler has an equity score of 15/100, ranking #239 out of 252 districts in Kansas.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.