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Smith Center, Kansas - 2 schools
An equity score of 46/100 ranks Smith Center #151 of 250 districts in Kansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,179 per pupil, Smith Center ranks #170 of 285 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending (Kansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
453
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$14,179
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Smith Center operates 2 public schools serving 453 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Kansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined 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 Smith County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,179 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 27.9% local, 65.1% state, and 7.0% 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 #151 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 218:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 22.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 89.7% White, 2.1% African American, 1.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Smith Center Elem, enrolling 253 students (58% of the district's total enrollment).
Smith Center Elem accounts for 55.8% of all Smith Center student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Smith Center a distant remainder — means Smith Center-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.
Smith Center student-counselor ratio is 218:1 — 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.
Smith Center chronic absenteeism rate is 22.0% — 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 Smith Center is typically wider than the Smith Center-aggregate figure suggests.
Smith Center has 2 schools, including 2 combined. Total enrollment is 453 students.
How much does Smith Center spend per student?
Smith Center spends $14,179 per student. The district has an equity score of 46/100, ranking #151 in Kansas.
What is the demographic composition of Smith Center?
Smith Center students are 89.7% White, 2.1% African American, 1.6% Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Smith Center?
Smith Center has an equity score of 46/100, ranking #151 out of 250 districts in Kansas.