Enrollment
51
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 200354001868
Central School — Atchison, KS
Federal NCES profile for Central School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 70
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
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
District: Atchison Public Schools · Kansas
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)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.6:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
-47% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.9%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+99% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central School 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 School reports 51 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 7.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 7.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 47% 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 52% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 84.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 99% above the Kansas average and 64% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 92.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Atchison Public Schools spends $14,292 per pupil district-wide, below the Kansas average of $17,342 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 15.7% from local sources (property taxes), 74.2% from the state, and 10.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 School 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 | 7.6:1 | ▼ 47% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.9% | ▲ 99% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 51 | top 7% | — | — |
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
84.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 99% 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
7.6:1
students per teacher
— 47% below state mean
Top 3% in Kansas — lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
92.2%
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
$14,292
per pupil, district-wide
— below Kansas avg of $17,342
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 51 Top 7% in Kansas — larger than 93% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 7.0
Students per teacher 7.6:1 -47% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 84.9% +99% vs state
NCES ID 200354001868
Student demographics
White 76.5%
Two or More 9.8%
African American 7.8%
Hispanic or Latino 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.0%
Largest group: White at 76.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 92.2%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Atchison Public Schools, which includes Central School.
$14,292
Per student
-18%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 15.7%
State 74.2%
Federal 10.2%
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
- 693
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 419
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 287
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
Similar other schools in Atchison
1 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 Central School
How many students attend Central School?
Central School has 51 students enrolled. It is a other school in Atchison, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central School is 7.6:1, which is 47% lower than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 52% 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 School?
84.9% of students at Central School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central School?
The largest demographic group at Central School is White at 76.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Atchison, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central School?
Central School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.