Enrollment
255
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Harper, KS
Harper Elem
Federal NCES profile for Harper Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 200339000750
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 83
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harper Elem earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median.
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.4:1
- students per teacher
- 59.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 255
- students enrolled
Harper Elem has class sizes near the Kansas median. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Chaparral Schools · Kansas
NCES ID 200339000750 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.0%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harper Elem compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Harper Elem
Harper Elem is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Harper, Kansas, enrolling 255 students.
At 13.4:1, 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 above the state's typical profile, with 59.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 255 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Against 183 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #47.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (24%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 255 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Chaparral Schools also operates Chaparral Jr/Sr High (348 students) and Anthony Elem (210 students) alongside Harper 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 Harper Elem compares
Harper 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 | 13.4:1 | ▼ 3% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.0% | ▲ 38% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 255 | top 56% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
255
Bigger than 26% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
13.4:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 52% in Kansas - lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
6.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$16,410
per pupil, district-wide
- above Kansas avg of $15,487
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 255 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 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 71.4%
Hispanic or Latino 23.9%
Two or More 4.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 71.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.1, Harper Elem is more mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chaparral Schools, which includes Harper Elem.
$16,410
Per student
+6%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.6%
State 67.3%
Federal 12.1%
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 Harper Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chaparral Jr/Sr High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Anthony Elem | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Chaparral Virtual School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Harper Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 348
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 210
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 16
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 57/100
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 (~255 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harper Elem's federal record.
- Compare Harper Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Chaparral Schools'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 Harper Elem
How many students attend Harper Elem?
Harper Elem has 255 students enrolled. It is a public school in Harper, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harper Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Harper Elem is 13.4:1, which is 3% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 15% 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 Harper Elem?
59.0% of students at Harper Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harper Elem?
The largest demographic group at Harper Elem is White at 71.4% of enrollment, in Harper, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harper Elem?
Harper Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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 Harper Elem a good school?
Harper Elem earns 52/100 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 Chaparral Schools?
Besides Harper Elem, Chaparral Schools also operates Chaparral Jr/Sr High (348 students), Anthony Elem (210 students), and Chaparral Virtual School (16 students). See the Chaparral Schools 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.