Enrollment
413
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Paola, KS
Paola Middle
Federal NCES profile for Paola Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 201050000776
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Paola Middle earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Paola · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.9:1
- students per teacher
- 27.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Paola Middle has class sizes near the Kansas median. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Paola Middle ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Paola, KS.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.4%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Paola Middle compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Paola Middle
Paola Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Paola, Kansas, enrolling 413 students.
At 12.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Kansas median, within a few percentage points of the 13.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 413 puts it in the larger third of Kansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Against 250 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #138.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 413 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.4% 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 High (567 students) and Cottonwood Elem (379 students) alongside Paola Middle.
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 Middle compares
Paola Middle on the metrics families compare, against Kansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.9:1 | ▼ 7% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.4% | ▼ 36% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 413 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.9:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
413
Bigger than 49% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% 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
12.9:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 44% in Kansas - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
19.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 413 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 87.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Two or More 4.4%
African American 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Asian 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 87.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.6, Paola Middle is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paola, which includes Paola Middle.
$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 Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paola High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cottonwood Elem | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sunflower Elem | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Paola Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 567
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- 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 middle 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 (~413 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Paola Middle's federal record.
- Compare Paola Middle 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 Middle
How many students attend Paola Middle?
Paola Middle has 413 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Paola, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paola Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Paola Middle is 12.9:1, which is 7% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 18% 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 Paola Middle?
27.4% of students at Paola Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Paola Middle?
The largest demographic group at Paola Middle is White at 87.7% of enrollment, in Paola, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paola Middle?
Paola Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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).
How does Paola Middle rank among public schools in Paola?
By Resource Investment Index, Paola Middle ranks #4 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 Middle a good school?
Paola Middle earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median. 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 Middle, Paola also operates Paola High (567 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.