Enrollment
428
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · De Soto, KS
Starside Elem
Federal NCES profile for Starside Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 200549001462
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Starside Elem earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of Kansas schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in De Soto · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.9:1
- small classes for Kansas
- 38.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Starside Elem has class sizes smaller than 71% of Kansas schools. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Starside Elem ranks #3 of 3 public schools in De Soto, KS.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.4%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Starside Elem compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Starside Elem
Starside Elem is a mid-sized combined-grade school in De Soto, Kansas, enrolling 428 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 38.4% lands close to the Kansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 428 puts it in the larger third of Kansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Against 269 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #149.
Its student body is led by White (56%) and Hispanic or Latino (38%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 428 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding De Soto spends $11,364 per pupil, 27% below the Kansas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among De Soto's public schools, it stands alongside De Soto High School (918 students): Starside Elem is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.9:1 vs 15.6:1).
De Soto also operates Mill Valley High School (1,432 students) and De Soto High School (918 students) alongside Starside Elem.
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 Starside Elem compares
Starside 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 14% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.4% | ▼ 10% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 428 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.9:1
Leaner classes than 76% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
428
Bigger than 52% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
38.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% 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
11.9:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 29% in Kansas - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
22.9%
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
$11,364
per pupil, district-wide
- below Kansas avg of $15,487
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 428 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 55.8%
Hispanic or Latino 37.6%
Two or More 3.7%
African American 1.9%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 55.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.5, Starside Elem is more mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for De Soto, which includes Starside Elem.
$11,364
Per student
-27%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.9%
State 60.8%
Federal 6.4%
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 Starside Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mill Valley High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| De Soto High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mill Creek Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Monticello Trails Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mize Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Starside Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,432
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 918
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 676
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 655
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 474
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar other schools in De Soto
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 (~428 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Starside Elem's federal record.
- Compare Starside Elem against another school. Compare schools
- De Soto'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 Starside Elem
How many students attend Starside Elem?
Starside Elem has 428 students enrolled. It is a public school in De Soto, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Starside Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Starside Elem is 11.9:1, which is 14% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 24% 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 Starside Elem?
38.4% of students at Starside Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Starside Elem?
The largest demographic group at Starside Elem is White at 55.8% of enrollment, in De Soto, KS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Starside Elem?
Starside Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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).
How does Starside Elem rank among public schools in De Soto?
By Resource Investment Index, Starside Elem ranks #3 of 3 public schools in De Soto, KS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in De Soto on the city page.
Is Starside Elem a good school?
Starside Elem earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% 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 De Soto?
Besides Starside Elem, De Soto also operates Mill Valley High School (1,432 students), De Soto High School (918 students), and Mill Creek Middle School (676 students). See the De Soto 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.