Enrollment
971
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 201226001478
Topeka West High — Topeka, KS
Federal NCES profile for Topeka West High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 33
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Topeka Public Schools · Kansas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
65.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.7:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.8%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Topeka West High compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Topeka West High reports 971 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 65.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% above the Kansas state mean of 14.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 5% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 51.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 21% above the Kansas average and 0% above the national baseline. The school offers 7 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 324 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 45.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Topeka Public Schools spends $17,260 per pupil district-wide, below the Kansas average of $17,342 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 13.8% from local sources (property taxes), 72.4% from the state, and 13.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Topeka West High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Kansas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.7:1 | ▲ 16% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.8% | ▲ 21% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 971 | top 96% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
51.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 21% 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
16.7:1
students per teacher
— 16% above state mean
Top 86% in Kansas — lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
45.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,260
per pupil, district-wide
— below Kansas avg of $17,342
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 324 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
75
in-school suspensions + 87 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 971 Top 96% in Kansas — larger than 4% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 65.0
Students per teacher 16.7:1 +16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 51.8% +21% vs state
NCES ID 201226001478
Student demographics
White 43.7%
Hispanic or Latino 25.2%
Two or More 16.1%
African American 13.4%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 43.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 324:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 45.2%
In-school suspensions 75
Out-of-school suspensions 87
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Topeka Public Schools, which includes Topeka West High.
$17,260
Per student
0%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 13.8%
State 72.4%
Federal 13.8%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,578
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 835
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 729
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 508
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
Similar high schools in Topeka
5 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Washburn Rural High
Standard public school
1,878 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Topeka High
Standard public school
1,578 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Seaman High
Standard public school
1,190 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Highland Park High
Standard public school
835 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Hope Street Charter Academy
Standard public school
103 students 5.5:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Topeka West High
How many students attend Topeka West High?
Topeka West High has 971 students enrolled. It is a high school in Topeka, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Topeka West High?
The student-teacher ratio at Topeka West High is 16.7:1, which is 16% higher than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Topeka West High?
51.8% of students at Topeka West High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Topeka West High?
The largest demographic group at Topeka West High is White at 43.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Topeka, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Topeka West High?
Topeka West High has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.