Enrollment
567
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Paola, KS
Paola High
Federal NCES profile for Paola High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 201050000779
👥 S:T ratio 39
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 62
📋 Attendance 41
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Paola High earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Kansas schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Paola · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.3:1
- large classes for Kansas
- 24.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Paola High has class sizes larger than 76% of Kansas schools. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Paola High ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Paola, KS.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.6%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Paola High compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Paola High
Paola High is a large high school in Paola, Kansas, enrolling 567 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Kansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 24.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 567 puts it in the larger third of Kansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Against 191 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #42.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 21/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 189 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Paola spends $23,217 per pupil, 50% above the Kansas average, a better-resourced district than most.
Paola also operates Paola Middle (413 students) and Cottonwood Elem (379 students) alongside Paola High.
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 Paola High compares
Paola High on the metrics families compare, against Kansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.3:1 | ▲ 11% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.6% | ▼ 42% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 567 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
567
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
24.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
15.3:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 76% in Kansas - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
23.8%
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
$23,217
per pupil, district-wide
- above Kansas avg of $15,487
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 189 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 88.4%
Hispanic or Latino 7.2%
Two or More 2.6%
African American 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 88.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.3, Paola High is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paola, which includes Paola High.
$23,217
Per student
+50%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
+40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.0%
State 38.7%
Federal 9.3%
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 Paola High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paola Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cottonwood Elem | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sunflower Elem | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Paola High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 413
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 379
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 373
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar high 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 (~567 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Paola High's federal record.
- Compare Paola High against another school. Compare schools
- Paola'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 Paola High
How many students attend Paola High?
Paola High has 567 students enrolled. It is a high school in Paola, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paola High?
The student-teacher ratio at Paola High is 15.3:1, which is 11% higher than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Paola High?
24.6% of students at Paola High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Paola High?
The largest demographic group at Paola High is White at 88.4% of enrollment, in Paola, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paola High?
Paola High has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Paola High rank among public schools in Paola?
By Resource Investment Index, Paola High ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Paola, KS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Paola on the city page.
Is Paola High a good school?
Paola High earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% 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 Paola?
Besides Paola High, Paola also operates Paola Middle (413 students), Cottonwood Elem (379 students), and Sunflower Elem (373 students). See the Paola 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.