Enrollment
136
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Caldwell, KS
Caldwell Elem
Federal NCES profile for Caldwell Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 200438000743
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Caldwell Elem earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Kansas schools.
- #2 of 3
- schools in Caldwell · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17:1
- large classes for Kansas
- 54.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Caldwell Elem has class sizes larger than 88% of Kansas schools. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Caldwell Elem ranks #2 of 3 schools in Caldwell, KS.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.8%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Caldwell Elem compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Caldwell Elem
Caldwell Elem is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Caldwell, Kansas, enrolling 136 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17:1 is larger than about 88% of Kansas schools and 23% above the 13.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 54.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 136 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Among 117 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kansas schools statewide, it ranks #87, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 272 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Caldwell's public schools, it stands alongside Caldwell Secondary School (109 students): Caldwell Elem is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17:1 vs 7.8:1).
Caldwell also operates Caldwell Secondary School (109 students) and Caldwell Secondary School-Chisholm Trail Elea (3 students) alongside Caldwell 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 Caldwell Elem compares
Caldwell 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 | 17:1 | ▲ 23% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.8% | ▲ 28% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 136 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
136
Bigger than 13% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
17:1
students per teacher
- 23% above state mean
Top 88% in Kansas - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
30.9%
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
$16,752
per pupil, district-wide
- above Kansas avg of $15,487
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.3 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 81.6%
Hispanic or Latino 10.3%
Two or More 8.1%
Largest group: White at 81.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.7, Caldwell Elem is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Caldwell, which includes Caldwell Elem.
$16,752
Per student
+8%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.6%
State 75.1%
Federal 5.3%
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 Caldwell Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caldwell Secondary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Caldwell Secondary School-Chisholm Trail Elea | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Caldwell Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 109
- Students per teacher
- 7.8:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 3
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar other schools in Caldwell
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~136 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Caldwell Elem's federal record.
- Compare Caldwell Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Caldwell'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 Caldwell Elem
How many students attend Caldwell Elem?
Caldwell Elem has 136 students enrolled. It is a public school in Caldwell, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Caldwell Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Caldwell Elem is 17:1, which is 23% higher than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Caldwell Elem?
54.8% of students at Caldwell Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Caldwell Elem?
The largest demographic group at Caldwell Elem is White at 81.6% of enrollment, in Caldwell, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Caldwell Elem?
Caldwell Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Caldwell Elem rank among schools in Caldwell?
By Resource Investment Index, Caldwell Elem ranks #2 of 3 schools in Caldwell, KS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Caldwell on the city page.
Is Caldwell Elem a good school?
Caldwell Elem earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of 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 Caldwell?
Besides Caldwell Elem, Caldwell also operates Caldwell Secondary School (109 students) and Caldwell Secondary School-Chisholm Trail Elea (3 students). See the Caldwell 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.