Enrollment
273
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Wichita, KS
Benton Elem
Federal NCES profile for Benton Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 201299000253
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 20
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Benton Elem earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Kansas schools.
- #28 of 61
- schools in Wichita · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.4:1
- students per teacher
- 66.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Benton Elem has class sizes near the Kansas median. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Benton Elem ranks #28 of 61 schools in Wichita, KS.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.6%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benton Elem compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Benton Elem
Benton Elem is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Wichita, Kansas, enrolling 273 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 66.6% of students qualify for free meals, 56% above the Kansas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 273 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Among 145 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kansas schools statewide, it ranks #117, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (53%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 64/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 546 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Wichita's public schools, it stands alongside Christa Mcauliffe Academy (829 students): Benton Elem is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.4:1 vs 13.6:1).
Wichita also operates East High (2,435 students) and Southeast High (2,066 students) alongside Benton Elem.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Benton Elem compares
Benton Elem on the metrics families compare, against Kansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.4:1 | ▼ 10% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.6% | ▲ 56% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 273 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
273
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
66.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% above the Kansas average of 42.7%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 36% in Kansas - lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,361
per pupil, district-wide
- below Kansas avg of $15,487
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 52.7%
Hispanic or Latino 23.4%
Two or More 12.1%
African American 9.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.1%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 52.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.4, Benton Elem is more mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wichita, which includes Benton Elem.
$15,361
Per student
-1%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.2%
State 70.9%
Federal 11.9%
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.
How Benton Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southeast High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Heights High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Benton Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,435
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 2,066
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,041
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,662
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,505
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar other schools in Wichita
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Christa Mcauliffe Academy
Standard public school
829 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Minneha Core Knowledge Elem
Standard public school
644 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Woodman Elem
Standard public school
612 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Cloud Elem
Standard public school
580 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Colvin Elem
Standard public school
571 students 13:1 students per teacher
Education Imagine Academy
Standard public school
566 students 29.8:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Kansas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~273 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Benton Elem's federal record.
- Compare Benton Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Wichita's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Benton Elem
How many students attend Benton Elem?
Benton Elem has 273 students enrolled. It is a public school in Wichita, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benton Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Benton Elem is 12.4:1, which is 10% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Benton Elem?
66.6% of students at Benton Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benton Elem?
The largest demographic group at Benton Elem is White at 52.7% of enrollment, in Wichita, KS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benton Elem?
Benton Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Benton Elem rank among schools in Wichita?
By Resource Investment Index, Benton Elem ranks #28 of 61 schools in Wichita, KS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Wichita on the city page.
Is Benton Elem a good school?
Benton Elem earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Kansas schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Wichita?
Besides Benton Elem, Wichita also operates East High (2,435 students), Southeast High (2,066 students), and North High (2,041 students). See the Wichita district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.