Enrollment
570
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Liberal, KS
Sunflower Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Sunflower Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 14/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 200873001589
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 24
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sunflower Elementary School earns 14/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Kansas schools.
- #8 of 8
- public schools in Liberal · Resource Index
- 14
- Resource Index · Lower
- 25.9:1
- large classes for Kansas
- 68.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Sunflower Elementary School has class sizes larger than 99% of Kansas schools. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sunflower Elementary School ranks #8 of 8 public schools in Liberal, KS.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25.9:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
+88% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.6%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+61% 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 higher-need, large combined-grade school in Liberal, Kansas, enrolling 570 students.
Class loads run heavy: 25.9:1 is larger than about 99% of Kansas schools and 88% above the 13.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 68.6% of students qualify for free meals, 61% above the Kansas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 570 puts it in the larger third of Kansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 100% of the 1,346 Kansas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 115 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kansas schools statewide, it ranks #115, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 570 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Liberal also operates Liberal Sr High (1,421 students) and Eisenhower Middle School (516 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 | 25.9:1 | ▲ 88% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.6% | ▲ 61% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 570 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
25.9:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
570
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
68.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 61% above the Kansas average of 42.7%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
25.9:1
students per teacher
- 88% 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
30.4%
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
$12,495
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 570 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
- 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
Hispanic or Latino 87.5%
White 7.9%
Two or More 1.9%
African American 1.4%
Asian 1.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 87.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.7, Sunflower Elementary School is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Liberal, which includes Sunflower Elementary School.
$12,495
Per student
-19%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.3%
State 75.9%
Federal 9.8%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Sr High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Eisenhower Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cottonwood Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Seymour Rogers Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Prairie View Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
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
- 1,421
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 516
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 500
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 472
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 426
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
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 (~570 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~25.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sunflower Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Sunflower Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Liberal'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 570 students enrolled. It is a public school in Liberal, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sunflower Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sunflower Elementary School is 25.9:1, which is 88% higher than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 65% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sunflower Elementary School?
68.6% 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 Hispanic or Latino at 87.5% of enrollment, in Liberal, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sunflower Elementary School?
Sunflower Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 14/100 (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).
How does Sunflower Elementary School rank among public schools in Liberal?
By Resource Investment Index, Sunflower Elementary School ranks #8 of 8 public schools in Liberal, 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 Liberal on the city page.
Is Sunflower Elementary School a good school?
Sunflower Elementary School earns 14/100 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 Liberal?
Besides Sunflower Elementary School, Liberal also operates Liberal Sr High (1,421 students), Eisenhower Middle School (516 students), and Cottonwood Elementary School (500 students). See the Liberal 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.