Enrollment
268
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cherryvale, KS
Lincoln Central Elem
Federal NCES profile for Lincoln Central Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 200474001122
👥 S:T ratio 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lincoln Central Elem earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Kansas schools.
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.9:1
- small classes for Kansas
- 58.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 268
- students enrolled
Lincoln Central Elem has class sizes smaller than 88% of Kansas schools. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.9:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.4%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lincoln Central Elem compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lincoln Central Elem
Lincoln Central Elem is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Cherryvale, Kansas, enrolling 268 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.9:1, Lincoln Central Elem is leaner than roughly 88% of Kansas schools and 28% under the state's 13.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 58.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 268 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 92% of the 1,346 Kansas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 195 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kansas schools statewide, it ranks #182, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 30/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 670 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Cherryvale's public schools, it stands alongside Cherryvale Sr / Middle School (277 students): Lincoln Central Elem is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (9.9:1 vs 9.6:1).
Cherryvale also operates Cherryvale Sr / Middle School (277 students) and Thayer Schools (137 students) alongside Lincoln Central 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 Lincoln Central Elem compares
Lincoln Central 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 | 9.9:1 | ▼ 28% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.4% | ▲ 37% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 268 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.9:1
Leaner classes than 89% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
268
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
58.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% 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
9.9:1
students per teacher
- 28% below state mean
Top 12% in Kansas - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
39.9%
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
$15,380
per pupil, district-wide
- below Kansas avg of $15,487
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.4 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.7 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 82.8%
Two or More 9.7%
Hispanic or Latino 4.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.2%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 82.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 30.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 30.2, Lincoln Central Elem is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cherryvale, which includes Lincoln Central Elem.
$15,380
Per student
-1%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 7.1%
State 82.3%
Federal 10.6%
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 Lincoln Central Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherryvale Sr / Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Thayer Schools | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lincoln Central Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 277
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 137
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar other schools in Cherryvale
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~268 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lincoln Central Elem's federal record.
- Compare Lincoln Central Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Cherryvale'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 Lincoln Central Elem
How many students attend Lincoln Central Elem?
Lincoln Central Elem has 268 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cherryvale, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lincoln Central Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Lincoln Central Elem is 9.9:1, which is 28% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 37% 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 Lincoln Central Elem?
58.4% of students at Lincoln Central Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lincoln Central Elem?
The largest demographic group at Lincoln Central Elem is White at 82.8% of enrollment, in Cherryvale, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lincoln Central Elem?
Lincoln Central Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical 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 Lincoln Central Elem a good school?
Lincoln Central Elem earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller 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 Cherryvale?
Besides Lincoln Central Elem, Cherryvale also operates Cherryvale Sr / Middle School (277 students) and Thayer Schools (137 students). See the Cherryvale 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.