Enrollment
121
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Protection, KS
South Central Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for South Central Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 200504000492
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Central Elementary School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 80% of Kansas schools.
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 11:1
- small classes for Kansas
- 40.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 121
- students enrolled
South Central Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 80% of Kansas schools. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Comanche County · Kansas
NCES ID 200504000492 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.9%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Central Elementary School compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Central Elementary School
South Central Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Protection, Kansas, enrolling 121 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 40.9% lands close to the Kansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 121 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 97% of the 1,346 Kansas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 157 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kansas schools statewide, it ranks #155, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 484 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Comanche County also operates South Central Middle School (113 students) and South Central High School (88 students) alongside South Central Elementary School.
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 South Central Elementary School compares
South Central Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Kansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11:1 | ▼ 20% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.9% | ▼ 4% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 121 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11:1
Leaner classes than 83% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
121
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% below the Kansas average of 42.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 20% in Kansas - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,495
per pupil, district-wide
- above Kansas avg of $15,487
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 81.0%
Hispanic or Latino 16.5%
Two or More 2.5%
Largest group: White at 81.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.6, South Central Elementary School is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Comanche County, which includes South Central Elementary School.
$17,495
Per student
+13%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.4%
State 63.8%
Federal 5.8%
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 South Central Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Central Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Central High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Central Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 113
- Students per teacher
- 28.3:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 88
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
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 (~121 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Central Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare South Central Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Comanche County'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 South Central Elementary School
How many students attend South Central Elementary School?
South Central Elementary School has 121 students enrolled. It is a public school in Protection, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Central Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Central Elementary School is 11:1, which is 20% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 30% 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 South Central Elementary School?
40.9% of students at South Central Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Central Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at South Central Elementary School is White at 81.0% of enrollment, in Protection, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Central Elementary School?
South Central Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 South Central Elementary School a good school?
South Central Elementary School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 80% 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 Comanche County?
Besides South Central Elementary School, Comanche County also operates South Central Middle School (113 students) and South Central High School (88 students). See the Comanche County 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.