Enrollment
223
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Baxter Springs, KS
Central Elem
Federal NCES profile for Central Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 200381001504
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Elem earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Baxter Springs · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.4:1
- students per teacher
- 57.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Central Elem has class sizes near the Kansas median. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central Elem ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Baxter Springs, KS.
School address
District: Baxter Springs · Kansas
NCES ID 200381001504 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.9%
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 higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Baxter Springs, Kansas, enrolling 223 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 runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 57.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 223 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Against 162 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #28.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (14%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 223 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Baxter Springs also operates Baxter Springs High (361 students) and Lincoln Elem (245 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 | 12.4:1 | ▼ 10% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.9% | ▲ 36% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 223 | top 62% | - | - |
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.
223
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% 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
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
21.1%
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
$13,965
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 223 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 70.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 14.3%
Hispanic or Latino 7.6%
Two or More 5.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.2%
Largest group: White at 70.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.5, Central Elem is more mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Baxter Springs, which includes Central Elem.
$13,965
Per student
-10%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 13.1%
State 81.5%
Federal 5.4%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter Springs High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elem | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Usd 508 Eacademy | 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
- 361
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 245
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 36
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 61/100
Similar elementary 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 (~223 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Elem's federal record.
- Compare Central Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Baxter Springs'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 223 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Baxter Springs, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Central 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 Central Elem?
57.9% 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 70.4% of enrollment, in Baxter Springs, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elem?
Central Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher 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 Baxter Springs?
By Resource Investment Index, Central Elem ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Baxter Springs, 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 Baxter Springs on the city page.
Is Central Elem a good school?
Central Elem earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median. 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 Baxter Springs?
Besides Central Elem, Baxter Springs also operates Baxter Springs High (361 students), Lincoln Elem (245 students), and Usd 508 Eacademy (36 students). See the Baxter Springs 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.