Enrollment
223
Elementary
DISTRICT 234 · STATE 313
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BAXTER SPRINGS·NCES 200381001504
Central Elem
1501 Park Ave, Baxter Springs, KS 66713 · (620) 856-3311 · Cherokee County
GRADES 03–06ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL223 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
12.0:1
19 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.7:1 · STATE 13.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
68%
152 students
DISTRICT 64% · STATE 51%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 58 | 26% |
| Grade 4 | 63 | 28% |
| Grade 5 | 55 | 25% |
| Grade 6 | 47 | 21% |
Student demographics
47%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 45% · STATE 58% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Central Elem→Baxter Springs High
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Baxter Springs. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
KAP 2024-25 . % Meeting + ExceedingEnglish Language Arts
64.1%
KS avg 44.5%
Math
59.7%
KS avg 38.8%
What this means: On the KAP, Kansas's statewide test, about 64 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 60 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Kansas schools, those numbers are about 45 and 39.
KAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 64.1% | 59.7% |
| 2023-24 | 61.4% | 60.0% |
% Meeting + Exceeding, all students and all tested grades. Kansas set new KAP cut scores in spring 2025, so results from 2023-24 and earlier are not comparable with later years.
Source: KAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of KS schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
60.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
29.6%
based on KS schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+30.7pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 60% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 30% typical for Kansas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 31 points, placing it in Kansas's top 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Central Elem
Central Elem's state test result (60.2% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Elem this school | 223 | 68.2% | 60.2% |
| Spring Grove Primary Center Galena | 229 | 65.1% | N/A |
| Lincoln Elem Baxter Springs | 245 | 65.3% | N/A |
| Irving Elem Winfield | 234 | 72.6% | 26.9% |
| Hill City Elem Hill City | 212 | 66.5% | 48.3% |
| Lincoln Central Elem Cherryvale | 268 | 64.6% | 40.6% |
Matched among Kansas elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Central Elem ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Kansas | In Cherokee County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 60.2% | #109 of 625 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 59.7% | #119 of 625 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 64.1% | #122 of 625 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 223 | #506 of 714 | #5 of 9 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.0:1 | #115 of 539 | #1 of 6 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 47.4% | #271 of 540 | #2 of 6 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 68.2% | #184 of 658 | #2 of 9 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -23.1% | #84 of 377 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
223
-11 (-5%) vs 2020
+11% since 1990-91, when it was 201
Student : Teacher
12.0:1
was 12.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 223 | 18.6 | 12.0:1 | 68% (152) |
| 2023-24 | 222 | 18.5 | 12.0:1 | 68% (150) |
| 2022-23 | 216 | 18.7 | 11.6:1 | 65% (141) |
| 2020-21 | 234 | 19 | 12.3:1 | 57% (133) |
| 2017-18 | 290 | 22.2 | 13.1:1 | 67% (195) |
| 2015-16 | 299 | 21 | 14.2:1 | 71% (213) |
| 2010-11 | 216 | 17 | 12.7:1 | 65% (141) |
| 2000-01 | 196 | 15 | 13.1:1 | 53% (103) |
| 1990-91 | 201 | 13 | 15.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Central Elem.
Since 2017-18: students down 23% (290 to 223); teachers down 16% (22.2 to 18.6).
About Central Elem
Located in Baxter Springs, Kansas, Central Elem is a small elementary school. It serves 223 students in grades 3 through 6. The average among elementary schools in Kansas is roughly 313 students; this school is 29% smaller than that.
Federal data list 4 schools in Baxter Springs, with 865 students enrolled.
Central Elem is 70% White by enrollment. The rest of enrollment is 14% Native American, 8% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, and 2% Pacific Islander. Census estimates put the White share of Cherokee County's population at about 87%. Central Elem's diversity index is 47%, against a US figure of 70%.
Federal data list 18.6 full-time-equivalent teachers at Central Elem in 2024-25, for a ratio of 12.0:1. That is lower than the 13.2:1 average for elementary schools in Kansas. The lunch program counts 68% of students at Central Elem as eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
On allk12's BeatsExpectations measure, Central Elem is among the top 10% of schools in Kansas. Predicted: 29.6%. Actual: 60.2%.
In the county around the school, Cherokee County, the median household income is $57,668, roughly 19% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. There are 17 public schools in Cherokee County, enrolling about 3,647 students in all.
The closest public school, Lincoln Elem, is about 0.5 miles from Central Elem. There are 7 other public schools within five miles. On state test proficiency, Central Elem ranks 1st in a group of 6 nearby schools.
The federal government classifies Central Elem's location as Rural: Distant.
Enrollment at Central Elem declined 5% between 2020-21 and 2024-25, from 234 to 223 students.
If you have questions about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news at Central Elem, you can post them here. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Cherokee County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
19,151
Census ACS
Median income
$57,668
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
19%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
17
3,647 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Baxter Springs
- Baxter Springs HighHigh · 361 students
- Lincoln ElemElementary · 245 students
- USD 508 eAcademyHigh · 36 students
Other schools in Baxter Springs
- Baxter Springs HighHigh · 361 students
- Lincoln ElemElementary · 245 students
- USD 508 eAcademyHigh · 36 students
Other Central Elementary schools
151 other US public schools in 35 states are named Central Elementary. Central Elem is the 136th largest of the 152.
- Central ElemDodge City, KS · 381 students
- Central ElemWamego, KS · 357 students
- Central ElemColumbus, KS · 348 students
- Central ElemOlathe, KS · 254 students
- Central ElemBurden, KS · 162 students
Nearby schools
- Lincoln Elem0.5 mi · 245
- Baxter Springs High1.2 mi · 361
- USD 508 eAcademy1.2 mi · 36
- Riverton Elem4.0 mi · 313
- Riverton Middle4.1 mi · 147
- Riverton High4.1 mi · 218
Frequently asked questions
About Central ElemWhat is the total enrollment at Central Elem?
Central Elem enrolls approximately 223 students in grades 03-06.
What age range does Central Elem serve?
Central Elem serves students from grade 03 through grade 06.
How many teachers does Central Elem have?
Central Elem employs 19 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.0:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Central Elem?
At Central Elem, the student body is approximately 70% White, 8% Hispanic, 5% Two or more.
Is Central Elem public or private?
Central Elem is a public K-12 school, overseen by Baxter Springs.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.