Enrollment
333
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Ottawa, KS
Sunflower Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Sunflower Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 200001502101
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 36
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sunflower Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median.
- #2 of 5
- schools in Ottawa · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.3:1
- students per teacher
- 44.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Sunflower Elementary School has class sizes near the Kansas median. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sunflower Elementary School ranks #2 of 5 schools in Ottawa, KS.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.3%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sunflower Elementary School compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sunflower Elementary School
Sunflower Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Ottawa, Kansas, enrolling 333 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 44.3% lands close to the Kansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 333 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Among 307 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kansas schools statewide, it ranks #269, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 333 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 13 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Ottawa's public schools, it stands alongside Ottawa Sr High (681 students): Sunflower Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.3:1 vs 12.6:1).
Ottawa also operates Ottawa Sr High (681 students) and Ottawa Middle School (456 students) alongside Sunflower 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 Sunflower Elementary School compares
Sunflower 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 | 12.3:1 | ▼ 11% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.3% | ▲ 4% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 333 | top 42% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
333
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 35% in Kansas - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
25.8%
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
$12,994
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 333 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 13 expulsions.
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 84.7%
Hispanic or Latino 7.8%
Two or More 5.7%
African American 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 84.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.3, Sunflower Elementary School is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ottawa, which includes Sunflower Elementary School.
$12,994
Per student
-16%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.6%
State 70.6%
Federal 8.8%
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 Sunflower Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Sr High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ottawa Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Garfield Elem | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elem | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ottawa Virtual School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Sunflower Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 681
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 456
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 368
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 298
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 14
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar other schools in Ottawa
4 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 (~333 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sunflower Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Sunflower Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Ottawa'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 Elementary School
How many students attend Sunflower Elementary School?
Sunflower Elementary School has 333 students enrolled. It is a public school in Ottawa, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sunflower Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sunflower Elementary School is 12.3:1, which is 11% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 22% 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 Elementary School?
44.3% of students at Sunflower Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sunflower Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Sunflower Elementary School is White at 84.7% of enrollment, in Ottawa, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sunflower Elementary School?
Sunflower Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Sunflower Elementary School rank among schools in Ottawa?
By Resource Investment Index, Sunflower Elementary School ranks #2 of 5 schools in Ottawa, KS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Ottawa on the city page.
Is Sunflower Elementary School a good school?
Sunflower Elementary School earns 37/100 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 Ottawa?
Besides Sunflower Elementary School, Ottawa also operates Ottawa Sr High (681 students), Ottawa Middle School (456 students), and Garfield Elem (368 students). See the Ottawa 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.