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.
Wichita, Kansas - 88 schools
An equity score of 66/100 ranks Wichita #59 of 252 districts in Kansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $15,549 per pupil, Wichita ranks #126 of 286 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending (Kansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Wichita operates 88 public schools serving 46,796 students, placing it among the largest districts in Kansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 57 combined, 16 middle, 12 high, 3 elementary schools, giving families in a major system a clear picture of grade-band coverage across a large portfolio 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 Sedgwick County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,549 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 286 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Kansas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 17.2% local, 70.9% state, and 11.9% 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 66/100, ranked #59 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.
Academic infrastructure includes 8 of 88 schools offering Advanced Placement (68 AP courses district-wide), a 409.8:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 30.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 37.2% Hispanic or Latino, 29.1% White, 19.8% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Seltzer Elem, with a diversity index of 79.9/100.
Its largest campus is East High, enrolling 2,435 students (5% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Bryant Opportunity Academy, at 36 students, a 68x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Wichita school enrollment ranges from 36 students (lowest) to 2,435 students (highest), a spread of 2,399 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. 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
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
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.
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 88 schools in Wichita.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Wichita's schools, above the Kansas average of 39.4.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
The Kansas districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olathe | Smaller | Similar spending | More locally funded |
| Shawnee Mission Pub Sch | Smaller | Lower spending | More locally funded |
| Blue Valley | Smaller | Lower spending | More locally funded |
| Kansas City | Smaller | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Topeka Public Schools | Smaller | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
Comparisons are relative to Wichita's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Olathe →Wichita has 88 schools, including 12 high, 16 middle, 57 combined, 3 elementary. Total enrollment is 46,796 students.
Wichita spends $15,549 per student. The district has an equity score of 66/100, ranking #59 in Kansas.
Wichita students are 37.2% Hispanic or Latino, 29.1% White, 19.8% African American, 3.8% Asian, averaged across 88 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Wichita has an equity score of 66/100, ranking #59 out of 252 districts in Kansas.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.