Enrollment
623
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 200789001616
Ware Elem — Fort Riley, KS
Federal NCES profile for Ware Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 29
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 42
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: Geary County 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)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.7:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
+23% 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
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
Ware Elem reports 623 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 23% 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 11% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 24.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 42% below the Kansas average and 52% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 623 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Geary County Schools spends $19,315 per pupil district-wide, above the Kansas average of $17,342 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 9.3% from local sources (property taxes), 62.9% from the state, and 27.9% 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 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 Ware 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 | 17.7:1 | ▲ 23% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.9% | ▼ 42% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 623 | top 90% | — | — |
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
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
17.7:1
students per teacher
— 23% above state mean
Top 91% in Kansas — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.1%
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
$19,315
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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 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
Enrollment 623 Top 90% in Kansas — larger than 10% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 17.7:1 +23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 24.9% -42% vs state
NCES ID 200789001616
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 623:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.1%
In-school suspensions 20
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Geary County Schools, which includes Ware Elem.
$19,315
Per student
+11%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,713
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Enrollment
- 900
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 615
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 541
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 413
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
Similar other schools in Fort Riley
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Ware Elem
How many students attend Ware Elem?
Ware Elem has 623 students enrolled. It is a other school in Fort Riley, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ware Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Ware Elem is 17.7:1, which is 23% higher than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fort Riley, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ware Elem?
Ware Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) 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.