Central Elem

Central Elem, a small elementary school in Burden, Kansas, one of the schools within Central, instructs 162 students, covering grades pre-K through 6. Enrollment runs roughly 48% leaner than the state mean of about 313.

Within Central, which oversees 2 schools and 301 students, Central Elem is one campus in the system.

On demographics, Central Elem records that 79% of the student body identifies as White. Beyond that, the school logs 14% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, 2% Native American. Compared to Cowley County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school currently runs with 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 17.0:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 13.2:1 average. Around 50% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is below Cowley County's rate of about 59%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Central Elem performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 38.3%, the actual is 43.7%, a residual of +5.4 points.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Cowley County put median household income runs about $57,878, roughly 25% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Cowley County runs 22 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,714 students), of which Central Elem is one.

Nearest neighbor: Central Jr-Sr High, around 0.2 miles off. Within ten miles, there are 4 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas. On composite proficiency, Central Elem comes 2nd of 9 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 36.2%.

The school occupies a countryside site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 6%: 172 students in 2018 compared to 162 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share ticked down from 87% to 79%. Class-load math has rose: from 13.9:1 in 2018 to 17.0:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, the feed for Central Elem typically covers open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.