Enrollment
435
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 200420000568
Union Valley Elem — Hutchinson, KS
Federal NCES profile for Union Valley Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 64
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
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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
+31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.2%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Union Valley Elem 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
Union Valley Elem reports 435 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 31% 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 18% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 31.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 27% below the Kansas average and 40% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 435 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Buhler spends $12,079 per pupil district-wide, below the Kansas average of $17,342 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.5% from local sources (property taxes), 66.6% from the state, and 6.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Union Valley Elem 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 | 18.8:1 | ▲ 31% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.2% | ▼ 27% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 435 | top 75% | — | — |
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
31.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 27% 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
18.8:1
students per teacher
— 31% above state mean
Top 94% in Kansas — lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$12,079
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 435 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 435 Top 75% in Kansas — larger than 25% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 18.8:1 +31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 31.2% -27% vs state
NCES ID 200420000568
Student demographics
White 85.3%
Hispanic or Latino 13.6%
African American 0.5%
Asian 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: White at 85.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 435:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.5%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buhler, which includes Union Valley Elem.
$12,079
Per student
-30%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 26.5%
State 66.6%
Federal 6.9%
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
- 674
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 532
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 448
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Enrollment
- 241
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 171
- Students per teacher
- —
Similar other schools in Hutchinson
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Plum Creek Elementary
Standard public school
448 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Morgan Elementary
Standard public school
388 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Mccandless Elementary
Standard public school
346 students 11.4:1 students per teacher
Wiley Elementary
Standard public school
322 students 15:1 students per teacher
Graber Elementary
Standard public school
311 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Hutchinson Virtual School
Standard public school
300 students
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 Union Valley Elem
How many students attend Union Valley Elem?
Union Valley Elem has 435 students enrolled. It is a other school in Hutchinson, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Union Valley Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Union Valley Elem is 18.8:1, which is 31% higher than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Union Valley Elem?
31.2% of students at Union Valley Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Union Valley Elem?
The largest demographic group at Union Valley Elem is White at 85.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Hutchinson, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Union Valley Elem?
Union Valley Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.