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Clay Center, Kansas - 7 schools
An equity score of 55/100 ranks Clay County #104 of 250 districts in Kansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $16,186 per pupil, Clay County ranks #83 of 285 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending (Kansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,344
Total Enrollment
7
Schools
$16,186
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Clay County operates 7 public schools serving 1,344 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Kansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 2 high, 2 elementary, 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 Clay County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,186 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 285 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Kansas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 36.5% local, 52.9% state, and 10.5% 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 55/100, ranked #104 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.
a 220.7:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 21.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 89.4% White, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.0% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Wakefield High, with a diversity index of 36.2/100.
Its largest campus is Lincoln Elem, enrolling 341 students (27% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Elearn 379 Virtual School, at 6 students, a 57x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Lincoln Elem accounts for 25.4% of all Clay County student enrollment
That concentration means Clay County-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. 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.
Clay County school enrollment varies 57× across entities
Clay County school enrollment ranges from 6 students (lowest) to 341 students (highest), a spread of 335 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Clay County student-counselor ratio is 221:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Clay County chronic absenteeism rate is 21.8% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Clay County is typically wider than the Clay County-aggregate figure suggests.
Clay County has 7 schools, including 2 combined, 2 high, 1 middle, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 1,344 students.
How much does Clay County spend per student?
Clay County spends $16,186 per student. The district has an equity score of 55/100, ranking #104 in Kansas.
What is the demographic composition of Clay County?
Clay County students are 89.4% White, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.0% African American, 0.1% Asian, averaged across 7 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Clay County?
Clay County has an equity score of 55/100, ranking #104 out of 250 districts in Kansas.