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Paola, Kansas - 4 schools
An equity score of 61/100 ranks Paola #80 of 250 districts in Kansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $23,217 per pupil, Paola ranks #6 of 285 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending (Kansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,815
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$23,217
Per-Pupil Spending
High, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Paola operates 4 public schools serving 1,815 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 Miami County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $23,217 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 29 of 285 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Kansas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 52.0% local, 38.7% state, and 9.3% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 61/100, ranked #80 of 250 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 301:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 18.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 87.1% White, 6.7% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Cottonwood Elem, with a diversity index of 25.6/100.
Its largest campus is Paola High, enrolling 567 students (33% of the district's total enrollment).
Paola High accounts for 31.2% of all Paola student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Paola-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.
Paola student-counselor ratio is 301:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Paola is typically wider than the Paola-aggregate figure suggests.
Paola chronic absenteeism rate is 18.8% — 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 Paola is typically wider than the Paola-aggregate figure suggests.