Enrollment
357
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 200000301607
Central Elem — Wamego, KS
Federal NCES profile for Central Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 33
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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.5%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central 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
Central Elem reports 357 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% below the Kansas state mean of 14.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 27.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 36% below the Kansas average and 47% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 357 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Wamego spends $29,227 per pupil district-wide, above the Kansas average of $17,342 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.4% from local sources (property taxes), 55.3% from the state, and 10.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Central 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 | 13.1:1 | ▼ 9% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.5% | ▼ 36% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 357 | top 62% | — | — |
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
27.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 36% below the Kansas average of 42.7%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.1:1
students per teacher
— 9% below state mean
Top 42% in Kansas — lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
26.9%
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
$29,227
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 357 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 357 Top 62% in Kansas — larger than 38% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 13.1:1 -9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 27.5% -36% vs state
NCES ID 200000301607
Student demographics
White 88.0%
Two or More 5.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
African American 1.4%
Largest group: White at 88.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 357:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wamego, which includes Central Elem.
$29,227
Per student
+69%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
+50%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.4%
State 55.3%
Federal 10.3%
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
- 504
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Enrollment
- 385
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Enrollment
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 18
- Students per teacher
- —
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 Central Elem
How many students attend Central Elem?
Central Elem has 357 students enrolled. It is a other school in Wamego, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elem is 13.1:1, which is 9% lower than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Elem?
27.5% of students at Central Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Elem?
The largest demographic group at Central Elem is White at 88.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Wamego, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elem?
Central Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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.