Enrollment
325
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Valley Center, KS
Wheatland Elem
Federal NCES profile for Wheatland Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 201251000160
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 58
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wheatland Elem earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median.
- #3 of 3
- elementary schools in Valley Center · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 38.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Wheatland Elem has class sizes near the Kansas median. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wheatland Elem ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Valley Center, KS.
School address
District: Valley Center Pub Sch · Kansas
NCES ID 201251000160 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-6% 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
What stands out at Wheatland Elem
Wheatland Elem is a mid-sized elementary school in Valley Center, Kansas, enrolling 325 students.
At 13:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 38.2% lands close to the Kansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 325 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Among 321 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kansas schools statewide, it ranks #239, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 325 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
16.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Valley Center's elementary schools, it stands alongside Valley Center Intermediate School (443 students): Wheatland Elem is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13:1 vs 14.8:1).
Valley Center Pub Sch also operates Valley Center High (1,011 students) and Valley Center Middle School (802 students) alongside Wheatland 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 Wheatland Elem compares
Wheatland 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 6% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.2% | ▼ 11% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 325 | top 43% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
325
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
13:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 46% in Kansas - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
16.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$14,370
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 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 33.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.3, Wheatland Elem is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Valley Center Pub Sch, which includes Wheatland Elem.
$14,370
Per student
-7%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Wheatland Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Center High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Valley Center Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Valley Center Intermediate School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Elem | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Abilene Elem | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wheatland Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,011
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 802
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 443
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 264
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 254
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar elementary schools in Valley Center
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~325 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wheatland Elem's federal record.
- Compare Wheatland Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Valley Center Pub Sch'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 Wheatland Elem
How many students attend Wheatland Elem?
Wheatland Elem has 325 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Valley Center, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wheatland Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Wheatland Elem is 13:1, which is 6% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 17% 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 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% of enrollment, in Valley Center, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wheatland Elem?
Wheatland Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Wheatland Elem rank among elementary schools in Valley Center?
By Resource Investment Index, Wheatland Elem ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Valley Center, KS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Valley Center on the city page.
Is Wheatland Elem a good school?
Wheatland Elem earns 43/100 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 Valley Center Pub Sch?
Besides Wheatland Elem, Valley Center Pub Sch also operates Valley Center High (1,011 students), Valley Center Middle School (802 students), and Valley Center Intermediate School (443 students). See the Valley Center Pub Sch 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.