Enrollment
253
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Smith Center, KS
Smith Center Elem
Federal NCES profile for Smith Center Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 200000700155
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Smith Center Elem earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median.
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.3:1
- students per teacher
- 36.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 253
- students enrolled
Smith Center Elem has class sizes near the Kansas median. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Smith Center · Kansas
NCES ID 200000700155 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.7%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smith Center Elem compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Smith Center Elem
Smith Center Elem is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Smith Center, Kansas, enrolling 253 students.
At 13.3:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 36.7% lands close to the Kansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 253 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Against 294 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #164.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 253 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
13.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Smith Center's public schools, it stands alongside Smith Center Jr Sr High (183 students): Smith Center Elem is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.3:1 vs 13.1:1).
Its district, Smith Center, also runs Smith Center Jr Sr High (183 students).
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 Smith Center Elem compares
Smith Center Elem on the metrics families compare, against Kansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.3:1 | ▼ 4% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.7% | ▼ 14% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 253 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
253
Bigger than 26% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
36.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% 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
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 50% in Kansas - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
13.8%
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
$14,179
per pupil, district-wide
- below Kansas avg of $15,487
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 253 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 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 89.7%
Two or More 5.5%
African American 2.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Largest group: White at 89.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.2, Smith Center Elem is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smith Center, which includes Smith Center Elem.
$14,179
Per student
-8%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.9%
State 65.1%
Federal 7.0%
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 Smith Center Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith Center Jr Sr High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Smith Center Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 183
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar other schools in Smith Center
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~253 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Smith Center Elem's federal record.
- Compare Smith Center Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Smith Center'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 Smith Center Elem
How many students attend Smith Center Elem?
Smith Center Elem has 253 students enrolled. It is a public school in Smith Center, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smith Center Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Smith Center Elem is 13.3:1, which is 4% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 15% 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 Smith Center Elem?
36.7% of students at Smith Center Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Smith Center Elem?
The largest demographic group at Smith Center Elem is White at 89.7% of enrollment, in Smith Center, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smith Center Elem?
Smith Center Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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).
Is Smith Center Elem a good school?
Smith Center Elem earns 48/100 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 Smith Center?
Besides Smith Center Elem, Smith Center also operates Smith Center Jr Sr High (183 students). See the Smith Center 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.