Dodge City

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, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Dodge City, Kansas - 11 schools

An equity score of 46/100 ranks Dodge City #146 of 250 districts in Kansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $12,648 per pupil, Dodge City ranks #237 of 285 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending (Kansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

7,233
Total Enrollment
11
Schools
$12,648
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Dodge City operates 11 public schools serving 7,233 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Kansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 elementary, 2 middle, 2 combined, 1 high 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 Ford County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,648 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 11.0% local, 76.6% state, and 12.5% 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 46/100, ranked #146 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 11 schools offering Advanced Placement (9 AP courses district-wide), a 396:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 14.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 82.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% White, 1.9% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Ross Elementary School, with a diversity index of 48.4/100.

Its largest campus is Dodge City High School, enrolling 2,178 students (30% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Beeson Elementary, at 355 students, a 6x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Dodge City High School accounts for 30.0% of all Dodge City student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Dodge 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Dodge City school enrollment varies 6.1× across entities

Dodge City school enrollment ranges from 355 students (lowest) to 2,178 students (highest), a spread of 1,823 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 NCES Common Core of Data

Dodge City has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 69.8% 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.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Dodge City student-counselor ratio is 396:1 — 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.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Dodge City chronic absenteeism rate is 14.6% — low (typically associated with lower-than-average attendance disruption; districts in this range often have attendance interventions, robust transportation, or smaller catchments that reduce barriers)

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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

12.5%
Federal
76.6%
State
11.0%
Local

Funding Equity

46
Equity Score
146 / 250
State Rank
50
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 11 schools in Dodge City.

White 12.9%
Hispanic or Latino 82.7%
African American 1.9%
Asian 0.7%
Multiracial 1.5%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 28.9/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Dodge City's schools, below the Kansas average of 39.4.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Ross Elementary School 48.4
  2. 2 Linn Elementary 35.7
  3. 3 Comanche Middle School 35.5
  4. 4 Northwest Elem 34.1
  5. 5 Dodge City High School 31.3

Programs & Resources

1 / 11
Schools with AP
9 AP courses total
396:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
14.6%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Dodge City

School Enrollment
Dodge City High School
2,178
Dodge City Middle School
808
Comanche Middle School
783
Miller Elem
780
Ross Elementary School
502
Central Elem
381
Northwest Elem
380
Soule Elementary School
375
Sunnyside Elem
365
Linn Elementary
361
Beeson Elementary
355

How Dodge City Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Kansas districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Derby Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Garden City Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Geary County Schools Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Manhattan-Ogden Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
De Soto Similar size Similar spending More locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Dodge City's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Kansas

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Wichita
46,796 students · 88 schools · $15,361/pupil
Compare vs Dodge City →
Olathe
29,034 students · 51 schools · $14,650/pupil
Compare vs Dodge City →
Shawnee Mission Pub Sch
26,618 students · 45 schools · $12,112/pupil
Compare vs Dodge City →
Blue Valley
22,384 students · 36 schools · $12,217/pupil
Compare vs Dodge City →
Kansas City
22,015 students · 43 schools · $16,610/pupil
Compare vs Dodge City →

Compare Dodge City

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Wichita →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Dodge City?

Dodge City has 11 schools, including 1 high, 2 middle, 2 combined, 6 elementary. Total enrollment is 7,233 students.

How much does Dodge City spend per student?

Dodge City spends $12,648 per student. The district has an equity score of 46/100, ranking #146 in Kansas.

What is the demographic composition of Dodge City?

Dodge City students are 82.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% White, 1.9% African American, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 11 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Dodge City?

Dodge City has an equity score of 46/100, ranking #146 out of 250 districts in Kansas.