Enrollment
395
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cheney, KS
Cheney Elem
Federal NCES profile for Cheney Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 200467000393
👥 S:T ratio 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 72
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cheney Elem earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Kansas schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Cheney · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.2:1
- large classes for Kansas
- 24.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Cheney Elem has class sizes larger than 88% of Kansas schools. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cheney Elem ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Cheney, KS.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.2:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
+25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.2%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cheney Elem compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cheney Elem
Cheney Elem is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Cheney, Kansas, enrolling 395 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.2:1 is larger than about 88% of Kansas schools and 25% above the 13.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 24.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 395 puts it in the larger third of Kansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Against 253 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #123.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 17/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 395 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
11.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Cheney also operates Cheney High (235 students) and Cheney Middle School 6-8 (193 students) alongside Cheney 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 Cheney Elem compares
Cheney 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 | 17.2:1 | ▲ 25% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.2% | ▼ 43% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 395 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.2:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
395
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
24.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 43% 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
17.2:1
students per teacher
- 25% above state mean
Top 88% in Kansas - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$13,252
per pupil, district-wide
- below Kansas avg of $15,487
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 395 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 91.1%
Hispanic or Latino 3.5%
Two or More 3.0%
African American 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 91.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.8, Cheney Elem is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cheney, which includes Cheney Elem.
$13,252
Per student
-14%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.0%
State 79.1%
Federal 5.0%
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 Cheney Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheney High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cheney Middle School 6-8 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cheney Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 235
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 193
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~395 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cheney Elem's federal record.
- Compare Cheney Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Cheney'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 Cheney Elem
How many students attend Cheney Elem?
Cheney Elem has 395 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cheney, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cheney Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Cheney Elem is 17.2:1, which is 25% higher than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cheney Elem?
24.2% of students at Cheney Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cheney Elem?
The largest demographic group at Cheney Elem is White at 91.1% of enrollment, in Cheney, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cheney Elem?
Cheney Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Cheney Elem rank among public schools in Cheney?
By Resource Investment Index, Cheney Elem ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Cheney, 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 Cheney on the city page.
Is Cheney Elem a good school?
Cheney Elem earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% 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 Cheney?
Besides Cheney Elem, Cheney also operates Cheney High (235 students) and Cheney Middle School 6-8 (193 students). See the Cheney 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.