Enrollment
208
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 200507001341
Park Elem — Columbus, KS
Federal NCES profile for Park Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 60
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)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.2%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Park 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
Park Elem reports 208 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 12.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 56.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 32% above the Kansas average and 8% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 416 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Columbus spends $18,040 per pupil district-wide, above the Kansas average of $17,342 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.3% from local sources (property taxes), 70.7% from the state, and 6.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), 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 Park 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 | 16.8:1 | ▲ 17% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.2% | ▲ 32% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 208 | top 35% | — | — |
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
56.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 32% 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
16.8:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 87% in Kansas — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
15.9%
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
$18,040
per pupil, district-wide
— above Kansas avg of $17,342
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 416 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 208 Top 35% in Kansas — larger than 65% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 12.0
Students per teacher 16.8:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 56.2% +32% vs state
NCES ID 200507001341
Student demographics
White 76.4%
Hispanic or Latino 9.6%
Two or More 6.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.3%
African American 2.4%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 76.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 416:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbus, which includes Park Elem.
$18,040
Per student
+4%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.3%
State 70.7%
Federal 6.9%
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
- 438
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 348
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 130
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
Similar other schools in Columbus
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Park Elem
How many students attend Park Elem?
Park Elem has 208 students enrolled. It is a other school in Columbus, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Park Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Park Elem is 16.8:1, which is 17% higher than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Park Elem?
56.2% of students at Park Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Park Elem?
The largest demographic group at Park Elem is White at 76.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Columbus, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Park Elem?
Park Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) 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.