Enrollment
1,017
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 200702001322
Hays High — Hays, KS
Federal NCES profile for Hays High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 6
📚 AP courses 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 29
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
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)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.4:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
+62% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.6%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hays High 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
Hays High reports 1,017 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 41.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 62% above the Kansas state mean of 14.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 47% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 30.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 28% below the Kansas average and 41% below the national baseline. The school offers 5 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 339 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hays spends $17,437 per pupil district-wide, above the Kansas average of $17,342 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.3% from local sources (property taxes), 52.3% from the state, and 15.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Hays High 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 | 23.4:1 | ▲ 62% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.6% | ▼ 28% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,017 | top 96% | — | — |
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
30.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 28% 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
23.4:1
students per teacher
— 62% above state mean
Top 97% in Kansas — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
28.5%
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
$17,437
per pupil, district-wide
— above Kansas avg of $17,342
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 339 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
40
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,017 Top 96% in Kansas — larger than 4% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 41.0
Students per teacher 23.4:1 +62% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 30.6% -28% vs state
NCES ID 200702001322
Student demographics
White 79.7%
Hispanic or Latino 12.7%
Two or More 4.8%
African American 2.1%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 79.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 339:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.5%
In-school suspensions 40
Out-of-school suspensions 22
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hays, which includes Hays High.
$17,437
Per student
+1%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.3%
State 52.3%
Federal 15.4%
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
- 726
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 420
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 371
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 364
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 274
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
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 Hays High
How many students attend Hays High?
Hays High has 1,017 students enrolled. It is a high school in Hays, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hays High?
The student-teacher ratio at Hays High is 23.4:1, which is 62% higher than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 47% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hays High?
30.6% of students at Hays High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hays High?
The largest demographic group at Hays High is White at 79.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Hays, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hays High?
Hays High has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.