Enrollment
623
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fort Riley, KS
Ware Elem
Federal NCES profile for Ware Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 200789001616
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ware Elem earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Kansas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Kansas schools.
- #3 of 3
- schools in Fort Riley · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16:1
- large classes for Kansas
- 24.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Ware Elem has class sizes larger than 82% of Kansas schools. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ware Elem ranks #3 of 3 schools in Fort Riley, KS.
School address
District: Geary County Schools · Kansas
NCES ID 200789001616 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.9%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ware Elem compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ware Elem
Ware Elem is a large combined-grade school in Fort Riley, Kansas, enrolling 623 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16:1 puts it in the larger third of Kansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 24.9% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Kansas, bigger than 90% of state schools at 623 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Among 164 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kansas schools statewide, it ranks #146, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (44%) and Hispanic or Latino (28%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 71/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 623 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 27.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Fort Riley's public schools, it stands alongside Morris Hill Elem (413 students): Ware Elem is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16:1 vs 21.7:1).
Geary County Schools also operates Junction City Sr High (1,713 students) and Junction City Middle School (900 students) alongside Ware 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 Ware Elem compares
Ware 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 | 16:1 | ▲ 16% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.9% | ▼ 42% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 623 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
623
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
24.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
16:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 82% in Kansas - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
23.1%
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
$14,320
per pupil, district-wide
- below Kansas avg of $15,487
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 623 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 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 43.5%
Hispanic or Latino 27.8%
African American 12.4%
Two or More 10.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 3.2%
Asian 2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 43.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.6, Ware Elem is more mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Geary County Schools, which includes Ware Elem.
$14,320
Per student
-8%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 9.3%
State 62.9%
Federal 27.9%
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.
How Ware Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junction City Sr High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Junction City Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ltg Richard J. Seitz Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Fort Riley Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Morris Hill Elem | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ware Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,713
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 900
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 615
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 541
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 413
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar other schools in Fort Riley
2 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 (~623 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ware Elem's federal record.
- Compare Ware Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Geary County Schools'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 Ware Elem
How many students attend Ware Elem?
Ware Elem has 623 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fort Riley, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ware Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Ware Elem is 16:1, which is 16% higher than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ware Elem?
24.9% of students at Ware Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ware Elem?
The largest demographic group at Ware Elem is White at 43.5% of enrollment, in Fort Riley, KS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ware Elem?
Ware Elem 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 Ware Elem rank among schools in Fort Riley?
By Resource Investment Index, Ware Elem ranks #3 of 3 schools in Fort Riley, KS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Fort Riley on the city page.
Is Ware Elem a good school?
Ware Elem earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Kansas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Geary County Schools?
Besides Ware Elem, Geary County Schools also operates Junction City Sr High (1,713 students), Junction City Middle School (900 students), and Ltg Richard J. Seitz Elementary (615 students). See the Geary County Schools 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.