Belle Plaine Elem

As a modestly sized elementary school in Belle Plaine, Kansas, Belle Plaine Elem hosts 211 students from grades pre-K through 4, operated by Belle Plaine. That puts it 33% below the typical public school in Kansas, which averages around 313 students.

Within Belle Plaine, which oversees 3 schools and 554 students, Belle Plaine Elem is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, Belle Plaine Elem shows that 85% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. Other groups include 7% multiracial, 6% Hispanic, 2% Native American.

Looking at school resources, The school employs 20 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 10.4:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.2:1 average. An estimated 53% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Belle Plaine Elem sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 37.0%; this one delivers 34.4%.

In the surrounding community, census data for Sumner County shows median household income runs about $63,951, 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 8%. Across Sumner County's 23 public schools (combined enrollment of about 3,436 students), Belle Plaine Elem is one campus in the mix.

Belle Plaine Middle is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Belle Plaine Elem at 4th of 7; the average score across the group is 31.6%.

Belle Plaine Elem operates from a low-density location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 21%: 268 students in 2018 compared to 211 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share edged down from 97% to 85%. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 13.6:1 in 2018 to 10.4:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Belle Plaine Elem community share and discuss pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.