Enrollment
380
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 200558001092
Northwest Elem — Dodge City, KS
Federal NCES profile for Northwest Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 58
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
District: Dodge City · Kansas
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)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.1:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
+81% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.9%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northwest 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
Northwest Elem reports 380 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 26.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 81% 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 64% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 59.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 40% above the Kansas average and 16% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dodge City spends $13,731 per pupil district-wide, below the Kansas average of $17,342 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 11.0% from local sources (property taxes), 76.6% from the state, and 12.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Northwest 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 | 26.1:1 | ▲ 81% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.9% | ▲ 40% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 380 | top 67% | — | — |
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
59.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 40% 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
26.1:1
students per teacher
— 81% above state mean
Top 98% in Kansas — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
16.8%
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
$13,731
per pupil, district-wide
— below Kansas avg of $17,342
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 380 Top 67% in Kansas — larger than 33% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 26.1:1 +81% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 59.9% +40% vs state
NCES ID 200558001092
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 79.2%
White 17.6%
African American 1.6%
Two or More 1.3%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 79.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.8%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dodge City, which includes Northwest Elem.
$13,731
Per student
-21%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 11.0%
State 76.6%
Federal 12.5%
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
- 2,178
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Enrollment
- 808
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 783
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 780
- Students per teacher
- 26.7:1
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
Similar elementary schools in Dodge City
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Ross Elementary School
Standard public school
502 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Central Elem
Standard public school
381 students 24:1 students per teacher
Soule Elementary School
Standard public school
375 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Linn Elementary
Standard public school
361 students 26.2:1 students per teacher
Beeson Elementary
Standard public school
355 students 22.8:1 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 Northwest Elem
How many students attend Northwest Elem?
Northwest Elem has 380 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Dodge City, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwest Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Northwest Elem is 26.1:1, which is 81% higher than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 64% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Northwest Elem?
59.9% of students at Northwest Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northwest Elem?
The largest demographic group at Northwest Elem is Hispanic or Latino at 79.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Dodge City, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwest Elem?
Northwest Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.