Enrollment
431
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 201137000512
Meadowlark Ridge Elem — Salina, KS
Federal NCES profile for Meadowlark Ridge Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 57
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)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.6%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Meadowlark Ridge Elem 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
Meadowlark Ridge Elem reports 431 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% below the Kansas state mean of 14.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 14% lower, 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. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 431 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Salina spends $19,945 per pupil district-wide, above the Kansas average of $17,342 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.2% from local sources (property taxes), 52.9% from the state, and 13.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Meadowlark Ridge Elem 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 | 13.6:1 | ▼ 6% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.6% | ▼ 28% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 431 | top 75% | — | — |
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
13.6:1
students per teacher
— 6% below state mean
Top 49% in Kansas — lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
17.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$19,945
per pupil, district-wide
— above Kansas avg of $17,342
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 431 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 431 Top 75% in Kansas — larger than 25% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 13.6:1 -6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 30.6% -28% vs state
NCES ID 201137000512
Student demographics
White 69.8%
Hispanic or Latino 14.6%
Two or More 10.7%
African American 3.0%
Asian 1.9%
Largest group: White at 69.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 431:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.2%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Salina, which includes Meadowlark Ridge Elem.
$19,945
Per student
+15%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.2%
State 52.9%
Federal 13.8%
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
- 1,046
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 934
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 782
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 647
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Enrollment
- 406
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
Similar other schools in Salina
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Stewart Elem
Standard public school
406 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Heusner Elem
Standard public school
392 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Coronado Elem
Standard public school
389 students 11.9:1 students per teacher
Sunset Elem
Standard public school
380 students 12.1:1 students per teacher
Schilling Elem
Standard public school
376 students 11.7:1 students per teacher
Cottonwood Elementary School
Standard public school
326 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
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 Meadowlark Ridge Elem
How many students attend Meadowlark Ridge Elem?
Meadowlark Ridge Elem has 431 students enrolled. It is a other school in Salina, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Meadowlark Ridge Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Meadowlark Ridge Elem is 13.6:1, which is 6% lower than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Meadowlark Ridge Elem?
30.6% of students at Meadowlark Ridge Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Meadowlark Ridge Elem?
The largest demographic group at Meadowlark Ridge Elem is White at 69.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Salina, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Meadowlark Ridge Elem?
Meadowlark Ridge Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.