Enrollment
325
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 201251000160
Wheatland Elem — Valley Center, KS
Federal NCES profile for Wheatland Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 45
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 58
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: Valley Center Pub Sch · 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.2%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wheatland 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
Wheatland Elem reports 325 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the Kansas state mean of 14.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 38.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 11% below the Kansas average and 26% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 325 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Valley Center Pub Sch spends $15,568 per pupil district-wide, below the Kansas average of $17,342 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.5% from local sources (property taxes), 60.0% from the state, and 6.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Wheatland 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 | 13.8:1 | ▼ 4% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.2% | ▼ 11% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 325 | top 57% | — | — |
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
38.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 11% 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
13.8:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 53% in Kansas — lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
16.9%
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
$15,568
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 325 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 325 Top 57% in Kansas — larger than 43% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 13.8:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 38.2% -11% vs state
NCES ID 201251000160
Student demographics
White 80.6%
Hispanic or Latino 12.3%
Two or More 4.6%
African American 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 80.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 325:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.9%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Valley Center Pub Sch, which includes Wheatland Elem.
$15,568
Per student
-10%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.5%
State 60.0%
Federal 6.5%
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
- 1,011
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 802
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 443
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 264
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 254
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
Similar elementary schools in Valley Center
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) 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 Wheatland Elem
How many students attend Wheatland Elem?
Wheatland Elem has 325 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Valley Center, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wheatland Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Wheatland Elem is 13.8:1, which is 4% lower than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wheatland Elem?
38.2% of students at Wheatland Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wheatland Elem?
The largest demographic group at Wheatland Elem is White at 80.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Valley Center, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wheatland Elem?
Wheatland Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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.