Enrollment
278
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Towanda, KS
Circle Towanda Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Circle Towanda Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 201230000805
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Circle Towanda Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median.
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.6:1
- students per teacher
- 44.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 278
- students enrolled
Circle Towanda Elementary has class sizes near the Kansas median. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.1%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Circle Towanda Elementary compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Circle Towanda Elementary
Circle Towanda Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Towanda, Kansas, enrolling 278 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Kansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 44.1% lands close to the Kansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 278 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 301 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #137.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 278 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Circle spends $10,992 per pupil, 29% below the Kansas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Circle also operates Circle High (604 students) and Circle Greenwich Elementary (337 students) alongside Circle Towanda Elementary.
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 Circle Towanda Elementary compares
Circle Towanda Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Kansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.6:1 | ▲ 6% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.1% | ▲ 3% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 278 | top 51% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.6:1
Leaner classes than 51% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
278
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% 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
14.6:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 68% in Kansas - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
24.1%
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
$10,992
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 278 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.7 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 89.6%
Hispanic or Latino 4.7%
Two or More 3.2%
African American 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 89.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.4, Circle Towanda Elementary is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Circle, which includes Circle Towanda Elementary.
$10,992
Per student
-29%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.0%
State 50.9%
Federal 6.0%
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 Circle Towanda Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circle High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Circle Greenwich Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Circle Middle School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Circle Benton Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Circle Oil Hill Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Circle Towanda Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 604
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 337
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 312
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 286
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 274
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
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 (~278 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Circle Towanda Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Circle Towanda Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Circle'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 Circle Towanda Elementary
How many students attend Circle Towanda Elementary?
Circle Towanda Elementary has 278 students enrolled. It is a public school in Towanda, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Circle Towanda Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Circle Towanda Elementary is 14.6:1, which is 6% higher than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 7% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Circle Towanda Elementary?
44.1% of students at Circle Towanda Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Circle Towanda Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Circle Towanda Elementary is White at 89.6% of enrollment, in Towanda, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Circle Towanda Elementary?
Circle Towanda Elementary 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).
Is Circle Towanda Elementary a good school?
Circle Towanda Elementary earns 49/100 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 Circle?
Besides Circle Towanda Elementary, Circle also operates Circle High (604 students), Circle Greenwich Elementary (337 students), and Circle Middle School (312 students). See the Circle 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.