Enrollment
429
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 201218001134
Shawnee Heights Elem — Topeka, KS
Federal NCES profile for Shawnee Heights Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 77
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: Shawnee Heights · 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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.0%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shawnee Heights 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
Shawnee Heights Elem reports 429 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% below the Kansas state mean of 14.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 27.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 37% below the Kansas average and 48% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 429 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 9.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Shawnee Heights spends $12,646 per pupil district-wide, below the Kansas average of $17,342 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 18.5% from local sources (property taxes), 72.2% from the state, and 9.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), 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 Shawnee Heights 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 | 13.9:1 | ▼ 3% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.0% | ▼ 37% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 429 | top 74% | — | — |
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
27.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 37% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
— 3% below state mean
Top 55% in Kansas — lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
9.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$12,646
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 429 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
Enrollment 429 Top 74% in Kansas — larger than 26% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 13.9:1 -3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 27.0% -37% vs state
NCES ID 201218001134
Student demographics
White 60.6%
Hispanic or Latino 21.9%
Two or More 13.1%
African American 3.5%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: White at 60.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 429:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 9.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Shawnee Heights, which includes Shawnee Heights Elem.
$12,646
Per student
-27%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 18.5%
State 72.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,218
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 560
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 540
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 464
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 435
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
Similar other schools in Topeka
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Jardine Elementary
Standard public school
729 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Farley Elementary
Standard public school
596 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Ross Elementary
Standard public school
563 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Logan Elementary
Standard public school
558 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Wanamaker Elem
Standard public school
475 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Williams Science and Fine Arts Magnet School
Standard public school
447 students 10.8:1 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 Shawnee Heights Elem
How many students attend Shawnee Heights Elem?
Shawnee Heights Elem has 429 students enrolled. It is a other school in Topeka, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shawnee Heights Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Shawnee Heights Elem is 13.9:1, which is 3% lower than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Shawnee Heights Elem?
27.0% of students at Shawnee Heights Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shawnee Heights Elem?
The largest demographic group at Shawnee Heights Elem is White at 60.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Topeka, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shawnee Heights Elem?
Shawnee Heights Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) 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.