Enrollment
121
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 200504000492
South Central Elementary School — Protection, KS
Federal NCES profile for South Central Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 22
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: Comanche County · 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)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
-3% 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
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
South Central Elementary School reports 121 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 11.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14:1 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 12% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 40.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 4% below the Kansas average and 21% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 484 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Comanche County spends $18,209 per pupil district-wide, above the Kansas average of $17,342 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.4% from local sources (property taxes), 63.8% from the state, and 5.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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 South Central Elementary School 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 | 14:1 | ▼ 3% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.9% | ▼ 4% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 121 | top 20% | — | — |
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
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
14:1
students per teacher
— 3% below state mean
Top 57% in Kansas — lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
31.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,209
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
Counselors0.3 FTE
Per 484 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 121 Top 20% in Kansas — larger than 80% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 11.0
Students per teacher 14:1 -3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 40.9% -4% vs state
NCES ID 200504000492
Student demographics
White 81.0%
Hispanic or Latino 16.5%
Two or More 2.5%
Largest group: White at 81.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.3
Students per counselor 484:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Comanche County, which includes South Central Elementary School.
$18,209
Per student
+5%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 113
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Enrollment
- 88
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
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 South Central Elementary School
How many students attend South Central Elementary School?
South Central Elementary School has 121 students enrolled. It is a other 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 14:1, which is 3% lower than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 12% 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 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%. The school serves a student body in Protection, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Central Elementary School?
South Central Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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.