Enrollment
254
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 201251000367
Abilene Elem — Valley Center, KS
Federal NCES profile for Abilene Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 42
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 62
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
The verdict
Abilene Elem earns a D Resource Investment Index (46/100), with class sizes near the Kansas median.
- D
- Resource Index · 46/100
- 14.4:1
- students per teacher
- 43.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 254
- students enrolled
School address
District: Valley Center Pub Sch · Kansas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.2%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Abilene Elem compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Abilene Elem reports 254 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 0% above the Kansas state mean of 14.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 1% above the Kansas average and 17% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 254 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Valley Center Pub Sch spends $15,568 per pupil district-wide, below the Kansas average of $17,342 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.5% from local sources (property taxes), 60.0% from the state, and 6.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Abilene Elem compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Kansas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.4:1 | ▼ 0% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.2% | ▲ 1% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 254 | top 44% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
14 smaller classes than 55% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
254 larger than 26% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
43.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 1% above the Kansas average of 42.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.4:1
students per teacher
— 0% above state mean
Top 63% in Kansas — lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
15.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$15,568
per pupil, district-wide
— below Kansas avg of $17,342
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 254 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 254 Top 44% in Kansas — larger than 56% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 14.4:1 +0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.2% +1% vs state
NCES ID 201251000367
Student demographics
White 69.3%
Hispanic or Latino 19.7%
Two or More 7.5%
African American 2.0%
Asian 1.6%
Largest group: White at 69.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 254:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Valley Center Pub Sch, which includes Abilene Elem.
$15,568
Per student
-10%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.5%
State 60.0%
Federal 6.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,011
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 802
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 443
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 325
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 264
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
Similar other schools in Valley Center
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Abilene Elem
How many students attend Abilene Elem?
Abilene Elem has 254 students enrolled. It is a other school in Valley Center, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Abilene Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Abilene Elem is 14.4:1, which is 0% higher than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Abilene Elem?
43.2% of students at Abilene Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Abilene Elem?
The largest demographic group at Abilene Elem is White at 69.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Valley Center, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Abilene Elem?
Abilene Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.