Enrollment
379
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Paola, KS
Cottonwood Elem
Federal NCES profile for Cottonwood Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 201050001726
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cottonwood Elem earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Paola · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.1:1
- students per teacher
- 32.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Cottonwood Elem has class sizes near the Kansas median. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cottonwood Elem ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Paola, KS.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.2%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cottonwood Elem compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cottonwood Elem
Cottonwood Elem is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Paola, Kansas, enrolling 379 students.
At 13.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Kansas median, within a few percentage points of the 13.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 32.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 379 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 278 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #124.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
12.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Paola spends $23,217 per pupil, 50% above the Kansas average, a better-resourced district than most.
Paola also operates Paola High (567 students) and Paola Middle (413 students) alongside Cottonwood 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 Cottonwood Elem compares
Cottonwood 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 | 13.1:1 | ▼ 5% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.2% | ▼ 25% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 379 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.1:1
Leaner classes than 66% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
379
Bigger than 44% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% 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
13.1:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 47% in Kansas - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
12.4%
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
$23,217
per pupil, district-wide
- above Kansas avg of $15,487
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 85.8%
Hispanic or Latino 7.1%
Two or More 4.7%
African American 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 85.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.6, Cottonwood Elem is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paola, which includes Cottonwood Elem.
$23,217
Per student
+50%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
+40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.0%
State 38.7%
Federal 9.3%
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 Cottonwood Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paola High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Paola Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sunflower Elem | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cottonwood Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 567
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 413
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 373
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
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 (~379 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cottonwood Elem's federal record.
- Compare Cottonwood Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Paola'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 Cottonwood Elem
How many students attend Cottonwood Elem?
Cottonwood Elem has 379 students enrolled. It is a public school in Paola, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood Elem is 13.1:1, which is 5% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 17% 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 Cottonwood Elem?
32.2% of students at Cottonwood Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cottonwood Elem?
The largest demographic group at Cottonwood Elem is White at 85.8% of enrollment, in Paola, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cottonwood Elem?
Cottonwood Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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).
How does Cottonwood Elem rank among public schools in Paola?
By Resource Investment Index, Cottonwood Elem ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Paola, 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 Paola on the city page.
Is Cottonwood Elem a good school?
Cottonwood Elem 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 Paola?
Besides Cottonwood Elem, Paola also operates Paola High (567 students), Paola Middle (413 students), and Sunflower Elem (373 students). See the Paola 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.