Enrollment
357
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Wamego, KS
Central Elem
Federal NCES profile for Central Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 200000301607
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 33
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Elem earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Kansas schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Wamego · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.5:1
- small classes for Kansas
- 27.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Central Elem has class sizes smaller than 75% of Kansas schools. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central Elem ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Wamego, KS.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-17% 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
What stands out at Central Elem
Central Elem is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Wamego, Kansas, enrolling 357 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 357 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Against 269 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #179.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 357 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Wamego also operates Wamego High (504 students) and Wamego Middle School (385 students) alongside Central 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 Central Elem compares
Central 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 | 11.5:1 | ▼ 17% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.5% | ▼ 36% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 357 | top 38% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.5:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
357
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
11.5:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 25% in Kansas - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.9%
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
$14,510
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
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
- 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 88.0%
Two or More 5.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
African American 1.4%
Largest group: White at 88.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.0, Central Elem is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wamego, which includes Central Elem.
$14,510
Per student
-6%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Central Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wamego High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wamego Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Elem | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wamego High School Virtual School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Central Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 504
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 385
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 18
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
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 (~357 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Elem's federal record.
- Compare Central Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Wamego'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 Central Elem
How many students attend Central Elem?
Central Elem has 357 students enrolled. It is a public school in Wamego, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elem is 11.5:1, which is 17% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 27% 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 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% of enrollment, in Wamego, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elem?
Central Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Central Elem rank among public schools in Wamego?
By Resource Investment Index, Central Elem ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Wamego, KS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Wamego on the city page.
Is Central Elem a good school?
Central Elem earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% 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 Wamego?
Besides Central Elem, Wamego also operates Wamego High (504 students), Wamego Middle School (385 students), and West Elem (353 students). See the Wamego 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.