Lyons

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.

Lyons, Kansas - 4 schools

An equity score of 78/100 ranks Lyons #15 of 252 districts in Kansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $22,216 per pupil, Lyons ranks #16 of 286 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending (Kansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

737
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$22,216
Per-Pupil Spending
High, Middle
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Lyons operates 4 public schools serving 737 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Kansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 high, 1 middle, 1 combined, 1 elementary 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 Rice County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $22,216 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 29 of 286 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Kansas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 33.9% local, 58.3% state, and 7.9% 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 78/100, ranked #15 of 252 in Kansas against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

a 175.3:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 44.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 53.1% White, 41.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Lyons High School, with a diversity index of 56.0/100.

Its largest campus is Lyons High School, enrolling 221 students (32% of the district's total enrollment).

Enrollment across the district's NCES-reporting campuses fell 4.9% between 2022-23 and 2023-24 (737 to 701 students), and the student-teacher ratio held roughly steady, per the NCES Common Core of Data annual universe files.

Of the district's $17,382,000 in reported FY2023 expenditures, 58.3% went to instruction, 31.9% to support services, and 4.2% to capital outlay, a fairly typical instruction/support/capital split for a public school district. Figures come from the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey's function-level breakdown, not the aggregate per-pupil figure above.

Lyons High School accounts for 30.0% of all Lyons student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Lyons-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

Lyons reports 66.1% free-lunch eligibility

The reported share sits between 62.5% and 75%, above a simple majority but below the highest descriptive band used here. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Lyons student-counselor ratio is 175:1 — 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.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Lyons chronic absenteeism rate is 44.4% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

7.9%
Federal
58.3%
State
33.9%
Local

Funding Equity

78
Equity Score
15 / 252
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 4 schools in Lyons.

White 53.1%
Hispanic or Latino 41.2%
African American 0.6%
Multiracial 4.7%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 54.4/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Lyons's schools, above the Kansas average of 39.4.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Lyons High School 56.0
  2. 2 Lyons Middle School 55.4
  3. 3 Lyons Central Elementary 53.4
  4. 4 Lyons Park Elementary 52.8

Programs & Resources

175.3:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
44.4%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Lyons

School Enrollment
Lyons High School
221
Lyons Middle School
173
Lyons Park Elementary
166
Lyons Central Elementary
132

How Lyons Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Kansas districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Osage City Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
Riley County Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Riverton Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
Nemaha Central Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Norton Community Schools Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Lyons'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 · $15,549/pupil
Compare vs Lyons →
Olathe
29,034 students · 51 schools · $14,314/pupil
Compare vs Lyons →
Shawnee Mission Pub Sch
26,618 students · 45 schools · $12,247/pupil
Compare vs Lyons →
Blue Valley
22,384 students · 36 schools · $12,498/pupil
Compare vs Lyons →
Kansas City
22,015 students · 43 schools · $17,611/pupil
Compare vs Lyons →

Nationwide districts with similar enrollment or spending

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.

Compare Lyons

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 Lyons?

Lyons has 4 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 1 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 737 students.

How much does Lyons spend per student?

Lyons spends $22,216 per student. The district has an equity score of 78/100, ranking #15 in Kansas.

What is the demographic composition of Lyons?

Lyons students are 53.1% White, 41.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% African American, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Lyons?

Lyons has an equity score of 78/100, ranking #15 out of 252 districts in Kansas.