Enrollment
136
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 200438000743
Caldwell Elem — Caldwell, KS
Federal NCES profile for Caldwell Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 23
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 →
School address
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)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
+27% 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
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
Caldwell Elem reports 136 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 8.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% 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 15% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 28% above the Kansas average and 6% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 272 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Caldwell spends $19,832 per pupil district-wide, above the Kansas average of $17,342 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.6% from local sources (property taxes), 75.1% from the state, and 5.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Caldwell 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 | 18.3:1 | ▲ 27% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.8% | ▲ 28% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 136 | top 23% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
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
18.3:1
students per teacher
— 27% above state mean
Top 93% in Kansas — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
30.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$19,832
per pupil, district-wide
— above Kansas avg of $17,342
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 272 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 136 Top 23% in Kansas — larger than 77% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 8.0
Students per teacher 18.3:1 +27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.8% +28% vs state
NCES ID 200438000743
Student demographics
White 81.6%
Hispanic or Latino 10.3%
Two or More 8.1%
Largest group: White at 81.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 272:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.9%
In-school suspensions 8
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Caldwell, which includes Caldwell Elem.
$19,832
Per student
+14%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 109
- Students per teacher
- 7.6:1
- Enrollment
- 3
- Students per teacher
- —
Similar other schools in Caldwell
2 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 Caldwell Elem
How many students attend Caldwell Elem?
Caldwell Elem has 136 students enrolled. It is a other school in Caldwell, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Caldwell Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Caldwell Elem is 18.3:1, which is 27% higher than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a student body in Caldwell, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Caldwell Elem?
Caldwell Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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.