Enrollment
502
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Kansas City, KS
Whittier Elem
Federal NCES profile for Whittier 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 200795001714
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Whittier Elem earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Kansas schools.
- #8 of 25
- elementary schools in Kansas City · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12:1
- small classes for Kansas
- 85.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Whittier Elem has class sizes smaller than 70% of Kansas schools. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Whittier Elem ranks #8 of 25 elementary schools in Kansas City, KS.
School address
District: Kansas City · Kansas
NCES ID 200795001714 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.8%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+101% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whittier Elem compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Whittier Elem
Whittier Elem is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Kansas City, Kansas, enrolling 502 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 85.8% of students qualify for free meals, 101% above the Kansas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 502 puts it in the larger third of Kansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Against 88 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #16.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (72%) and African American (17%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 251 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Kansas City's elementary schools, it stands alongside Piper Creek Elementary (598 students): Whittier Elem is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12:1 vs 16.6:1).
Kansas City also operates Wyandotte High (1,903 students) and Silver City Elem (1,495 students) alongside Whittier 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 Whittier Elem compares
Whittier 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 | 12:1 | ▼ 13% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.8% | ▲ 101% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 502 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
502
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 101% above the Kansas average of 42.7%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 30% in Kansas - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
44.6%
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
$16,610
per pupil, district-wide
- above Kansas avg of $15,487
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 251 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 72.3%
African American 17.1%
White 4.4%
Two or More 2.0%
Asian 1.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.5, Whittier Elem is more mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kansas City, which includes Whittier Elem.
$16,610
Per student
+7%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
+0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 13.6%
State 70.8%
Federal 15.6%
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 Whittier Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyandotte High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Silver City Elem | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| J C Harmon High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Washington High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sumner Academy of Arts & Science | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Whittier Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,903
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,495
- Students per teacher
- 62.3:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,285
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,180
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 1,045
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar elementary schools in Kansas City
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Piper Creek Elementary
Standard public school
598 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Chelsea Elem
Standard public school
557 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Hazel Grove Elem
Standard public school
537 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
West Park Elementary School
Standard public school
534 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Welborn Elem
Standard public school
504 students 12.3:1 students per teacher
Frances Willard Elem
Standard public school
434 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
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 (~502 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Whittier Elem's federal record.
- Compare Whittier Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Kansas City'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 Whittier Elem
How many students attend Whittier Elem?
Whittier Elem has 502 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Kansas City, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whittier Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Whittier Elem is 12:1, which is 13% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 24% 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 Whittier Elem?
85.8% of students at Whittier Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whittier Elem?
The largest demographic group at Whittier Elem is Hispanic or Latino at 72.3% of enrollment, in Kansas City, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whittier Elem?
Whittier 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 Whittier Elem rank among elementary schools in Kansas City?
By Resource Investment Index, Whittier Elem ranks #8 of 25 elementary schools in Kansas City, 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 Kansas City on the city page.
Is Whittier Elem a good school?
Whittier Elem earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of 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 Kansas City?
Besides Whittier Elem, Kansas City also operates Wyandotte High (1,903 students), Silver City Elem (1,495 students), and J C Harmon High (1,285 students). See the Kansas City 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.