Enrollment
113
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Protection, KS
South Central Middle School
Federal NCES profile for South Central Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 200504000493
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Central Middle School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Kansas schools.
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 28.3:1
- large classes for Kansas
- 44.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 113
- students enrolled
South Central Middle School has class sizes larger than 99% of Kansas schools. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Comanche County · Kansas
NCES ID 200504000493 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
28.3:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
+105% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.8%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Central Middle School compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Central Middle School
South Central Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Protection, Kansas, enrolling 113 students.
Class loads run heavy: 28.3:1 is larger than about 99% of Kansas schools and 105% above the 13.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 44.8% lands close to the Kansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 113 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 1,346 Kansas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 146 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kansas schools statewide, it ranks #146, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (80%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 34/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 452 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Comanche County also operates South Central Elementary School (121 students) and South Central High School (88 students) alongside South Central Middle 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 Middle School compares
South Central Middle 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 | 28.3:1 | ▲ 105% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.8% | ▲ 5% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 113 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
28.3:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
113
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% above the Kansas average of 42.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
28.3:1
students per teacher
- 105% above state mean
Top 99% in Kansas - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
22.1%
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 79.6%
Hispanic or Latino 13.3%
Two or More 7.1%
Largest group: White at 79.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.4, South Central Middle 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 Middle 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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Central Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| South Central High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Central Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 121
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 88
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
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 (~113 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~28.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Central Middle School's federal record.
- Compare South Central Middle 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 Middle School
How many students attend South Central Middle School?
South Central Middle School has 113 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Protection, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Central Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Central Middle School is 28.3:1, which is 105% higher than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 80% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Central Middle School?
44.8% of students at South Central Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Central Middle School?
The largest demographic group at South Central Middle School is White at 79.6% of enrollment, in Protection, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Central Middle School?
South Central Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (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 Middle School a good school?
South Central Middle School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% 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 Middle School, Comanche County also operates South Central Elementary School (121 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.