Enrollment
438
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Leawood, KS
Prairie Star Middle
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Star Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 64/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 201200000994
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prairie Star Middle earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Kansas schools.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Leawood · Resource Index
- 64
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.8:1
- small classes for Kansas
- 5.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Prairie Star Middle has class sizes smaller than 73% of Kansas schools. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Star Middle ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Leawood, KS.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
5.6%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-87% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Star Middle compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prairie Star Middle
Prairie Star Middle is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Leawood, Kansas, enrolling 438 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 5.6% free-meal eligibility runs 87% below the Kansas average.
Enrollment of 438 puts it in the larger third of Kansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 95% of the 1,346 Kansas schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 108 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kansas schools statewide, it ranks #5, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and Asian (15%) (diversity index 42/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 219 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
10.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Blue Valley spends $12,217 per pupil, 21% below the Kansas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Leawood's middle schools, it stands alongside Leawood Middle (493 students): Prairie Star Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.8:1 vs 13.7:1).
Blue Valley also operates Blue Valley West High (1,534 students) and Blue Valley Northwest High (1,496 students) alongside Prairie Star 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 Prairie Star Middle compares
Prairie Star 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 14% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 5.6% | ▼ 87% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 438 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
438
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
5.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 87% below the Kansas average of 42.7%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 27% in Kansas - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
10.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,217
per pupil, district-wide
- below Kansas avg of $15,487
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 219 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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 74.4%
Asian 14.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
Two or More 4.6%
African American 1.4%
Largest group: White at 74.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.0, Prairie Star Middle is more mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Blue Valley, which includes Prairie Star Middle.
$12,217
Per student
-21%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.9%
State 47.4%
Federal 4.7%
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 Prairie Star Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Valley West High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Blue Valley Northwest High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Blue Valley High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Blue Valley North High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Blue Valley Southwest High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prairie Star Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,534
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 1,496
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,396
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,376
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,057
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar middle schools in Leawood
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 (~438 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prairie Star Middle's federal record.
- Compare Prairie Star Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Blue Valley'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 Prairie Star Middle
How many students attend Prairie Star Middle?
Prairie Star Middle has 438 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Leawood, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Star Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Star Middle is 11.8:1, which is 14% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 25% 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 Prairie Star Middle?
5.6% of students at Prairie Star Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie Star Middle?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Star Middle is White at 74.4% of enrollment, in Leawood, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Star Middle?
Prairie Star Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (higher 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 Prairie Star Middle rank among public schools in Leawood?
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Star Middle ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Leawood, 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 Leawood on the city page.
Is Prairie Star Middle a good school?
Prairie Star Middle earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% 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 Blue Valley?
Besides Prairie Star Middle, Blue Valley also operates Blue Valley West High (1,534 students), Blue Valley Northwest High (1,496 students), and Blue Valley High (1,396 students). See the Blue Valley 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.