Enrollment
162
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Burden, KS
Central Elem
Federal NCES profile for Central Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 200423001198
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Elem earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Kansas schools.
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 18:1
- large classes for Kansas
- 46.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 162
- students enrolled
Central Elem has class sizes larger than 93% of Kansas schools. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
+30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.5%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+9% 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 Burden, Kansas, enrolling 162 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18:1 is larger than about 93% of Kansas schools and 30% 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 46.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 162 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Against 205 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #81.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 35/100).
16.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Burden's public schools, it stands alongside Central Jr-Sr High (139 students): Central Elem is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18:1 vs 10.7:1).
Its district, Central, also runs Central Jr-Sr High (139 students).
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 | 18:1 | ▲ 30% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.5% | ▲ 9% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 162 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
162
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% 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
18:1
students per teacher
- 30% above state mean
Top 93% in Kansas - lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$15,948
per pupil, district-wide
- above Kansas avg of $15,487
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 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 79.0%
Hispanic or Latino 14.2%
Two or More 3.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.5%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 79.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 35.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.4, 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 Central, which includes Central Elem.
$15,948
Per student
+3%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.3%
State 74.9%
Federal 6.8%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Jr-Sr High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 139
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
Similar other schools in Burden
1 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 (~162 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Elem's federal record.
- Compare Central Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Central'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 162 students enrolled. It is a public school in Burden, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elem is 18:1, which is 30% higher than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Elem?
46.5% 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 79.0% of enrollment, in Burden, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elem?
Central Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Central Elem a good school?
Central Elem earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% 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 Central?
Besides Central Elem, Central also operates Central Jr-Sr High (139 students). See the Central 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.