Enrollment
353
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Wamego, KS
West Elem
Federal NCES profile for West Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 200000301608
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
West Elem earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Wamego · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.6:1
- students per teacher
- 24.2%
- free-lunch eligible
West Elem has class sizes near the Kansas median. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, West Elem ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Wamego, KS.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.2%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Elem compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at West Elem
West Elem is a mid-sized elementary school in Wamego, Kansas, enrolling 353 students.
At 13.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Kansas median, within a few percentage points of the 13.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 24.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 353 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Against 251 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #170.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 353 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Wamego also operates Wamego High (504 students) and Wamego Middle School (385 students) alongside West 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 West Elem compares
West 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 | 13.6:1 | ▼ 1% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.2% | ▼ 43% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 353 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
353
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
24.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 43% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 55% in Kansas - lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
24.1%
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
$14,510
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 353 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 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 86.4%
Hispanic or Latino 6.8%
Two or More 5.1%
African American 1.1%
Asian 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 86.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.6, West Elem is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wamego, which includes West Elem.
$14,510
Per student
-6%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.4%
State 55.3%
Federal 10.3%
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 West Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wamego High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wamego Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Central Elem | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wamego High School Virtual School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to West Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 504
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 385
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 357
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 18
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar elementary 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 (~353 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on West Elem's federal record.
- Compare West Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Wamego'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 West Elem
How many students attend West Elem?
West Elem has 353 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Wamego, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at West Elem is 13.6:1, which is 1% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at West Elem?
24.2% of students at West Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Elem?
The largest demographic group at West Elem is White at 86.4% of enrollment, in Wamego, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Elem?
West Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 West Elem rank among public schools in Wamego?
By Resource Investment Index, West Elem ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Wamego, 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 Wamego on the city page.
Is West Elem a good school?
West Elem earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median. 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 Wamego?
Besides West Elem, Wamego also operates Wamego High (504 students), Wamego Middle School (385 students), and Central Elem (357 students). See the Wamego 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.