Enrollment
373
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Paola, KS
Sunflower Elem
Federal NCES profile for Sunflower Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 201050001627
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sunflower Elem earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Paola · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.9:1
- students per teacher
- 33.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Sunflower Elem has class sizes near the Kansas median. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sunflower Elem ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Paola, KS.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.0%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sunflower Elem compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sunflower Elem
Sunflower Elem is a mid-sized elementary school in Paola, Kansas, enrolling 373 students.
At 12.9:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 33.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 373 puts it in the larger third of Kansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Against 290 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #54.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Paola spends $23,217 per pupil, 50% above the Kansas average, a better-resourced district than most.
Paola also operates Paola High (567 students) and Paola Middle (413 students) alongside Sunflower 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 Sunflower Elem compares
Sunflower 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 | 12.9:1 | ▼ 7% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.0% | ▼ 23% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 373 | top 35% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.9:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
373
Bigger than 43% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% 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
12.9:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 44% in Kansas - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
19.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$23,217
per pupil, district-wide
- above Kansas avg of $15,487
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 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 86.6%
Hispanic or Latino 7.0%
Two or More 5.4%
African American 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 86.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.2, Sunflower Elem is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paola, which includes Sunflower Elem.
$23,217
Per student
+50%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
+40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.0%
State 38.7%
Federal 9.3%
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 Sunflower Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paola High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Paola Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cottonwood Elem | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sunflower Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 567
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 413
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 379
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar elementary 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 (~373 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sunflower Elem's federal record.
- Compare Sunflower Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Paola'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 Sunflower Elem
How many students attend Sunflower Elem?
Sunflower Elem has 373 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Paola, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sunflower Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Sunflower Elem is 12.9:1, which is 7% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 18% 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 Sunflower Elem?
33.0% of students at Sunflower Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sunflower Elem?
The largest demographic group at Sunflower Elem is White at 86.6% of enrollment, in Paola, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sunflower Elem?
Sunflower Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sunflower Elem rank among public schools in Paola?
By Resource Investment Index, Sunflower Elem ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Paola, 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 Paola on the city page.
Is Sunflower Elem a good school?
Sunflower Elem earns 56/100 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 Paola?
Besides Sunflower Elem, Paola also operates Paola High (567 students), Paola Middle (413 students), and Cottonwood Elem (379 students). See the Paola 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.