Enrollment
348
Elementary
DISTRICT 231 · STATE 313
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·COLUMBUS·NCES 200507001342
Central Elem
810 S High School Avenue, Columbus, KS 66725 · (620) 429-3943 · Cherokee County
GRADES 02–06ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL348 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
13.0:1
27 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.8:1 · STATE 13.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
64%
224 students
DISTRICT 61% · 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 2 | 75 | 22% |
| Grade 3 | 77 | 22% |
| Grade 4 | 64 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 72 | 21% |
| Grade 6 | 60 | 17% |
Student demographics
28%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 28% · 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→Columbus Junior High and High School
Based on grade levels within Columbus. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
KAP 2024-25 . % Meeting + ExceedingEnglish Language Arts
39.4%
KS avg 44.5%
Math
40.1%
KS avg 38.8%
What this means: On the KAP, Kansas's statewide test, about 39 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 40 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 | 39.4% | 40.1% |
| 2023-24 | 31.7% | 33.2% |
% 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
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
38.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
31.4%
based on KS schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+6.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 38% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 31% typical for Kansas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Kansas's top nor bottom 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 (38.2% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Elem this school | 348 | 64.4% | 38.2% |
| Garnett Elementary School Garnett | 401 | 64.8% | 43.2% |
| Trojan Elem Osawatomie | 341 | 68.6% | 31.5% |
| Riverton Elem Riverton | 313 | 61.3% | 43.6% |
| Garfield Elem Ottawa | 368 | 68.5% | 43.7% |
| Kingman Elementary School Kingman | 330 | 60.6% | 36.1% |
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 | 38.2% | #387 of 625 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 40.1% | #338 of 625 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 39.4% | #459 of 625 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 348 | #288 of 714 | #1 of 9 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.0:1 | #211 of 539 | #3 of 6 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 28.2% | #419 of 540 | #6 of 6 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 64.4% | #211 of 658 | #6 of 9 |
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
348
+17 (+5%) vs 2020
-14% since 1990-91, when it was 405
Student : Teacher
13.0:1
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 | 348 | 26.7 | 13.0:1 | 64% (224) |
| 2023-24 | 208 | 15 | 13.8:1 | 56% (117) |
| 2022-23 | 188 | 14.9 | 12.6:1 | 61% (114) |
| 2020-21 | 331 | 27 | 12.3:1 | 58% (191) |
| 2017-18 | 348 | 31.4 | 11.1:1 | 52% (180) |
| 2015-16 | 358 | 30 | 11.9:1 | 54% (192) |
| 2010-11 | 400 | 29 | 13.8:1 | 60% (239) |
| 2000-01 | 423 | 31 | 13.7:1 | 43% (180) |
| 1990-91 | 405 | 25 | 16.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Central Elem.
Since 2017-18: students unchanged (348 to 348); teachers down 15% (31.4 to 26.7).
About Central Elem
Central Elem is classified as an elementary school. It is located in Columbus, Kansas. Federal data show 348 students enrolled in grades 2 through 6 in 2024-25.
Central Elem is in Columbus, a district with 1,130 students across 4 schools.
Central Elem is 84% White by enrollment. Other reported shares: 8% multiracial and 5% Hispanic. That is in line with Cherokee County, where about 87% of residents are White. The diversity index for Central Elem is 28%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
Central Elem has 26.7 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of about 13.0:1. That is in line with the 13.2:1 average for elementary schools in Kansas. A common income measure, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, is 64% at Central Elem. The average for public schools in Cherokee County is similar, at 61%.
Central Elem scores 38.2% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 31.4%.
In Cherokee County, where the school is located, median household income comes to about $57,668, about 19% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 9% of residents are in poverty. There are 17 public schools in the county, enrolling about 3,647, Central Elem among them.
Of the public schools around it, Central Elem is closest to Columbus Junior High and High School, about 0.6 miles away. The count of other public schools within five miles is 3. Central Elem is 3rd of 6 nearby schools by average proficiency rate.
NCES describes the area around Central Elem as Rural: Distant, meaning in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
In 2024-25, the school enrolled 348, up from 331 in 2020-21.
People who know Central Elem can post here about special education services, counseling, and support programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
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 Columbus
- Columbus Junior High and High SchoolHigh · 438 students
- Park ElemElementary · 208 students
- Highland ElemElementary · 136 students
Other schools in Columbus
- Columbus Junior High and High SchoolHigh · 438 students
- Park ElemElementary · 208 students
- Highland ElemElementary · 136 students
Other Central Elementary schools
151 other US public schools in 35 states are named Central Elementary. Central Elem is the 87th largest of the 152.
- Central ElemDodge City, KS · 381 students
- Central ElemWamego, KS · 357 students
- Central ElemOlathe, KS · 254 students
- Central ElemBaxter Springs, KS · 223 students
- Central ElemBurden, KS · 162 students
Nearby schools
- Columbus Junior High and High School0.6 mi · 438
- Highland Elem0.8 mi · 136
- Park Elem1.0 mi · 208
- Riverton Middle10.0 mi · 147
- Riverton High10.0 mi · 218
- Riverton Elem10.0 mi · 313
Frequently asked questions
About Central ElemHow many students attend Central Elem?
Central Elem enrolls approximately 348 students in grades 02-06.
What grades does Central Elem serve?
Central Elem serves grades 02-06.
How many students per teacher at Central Elem?
Approximately 13.0:1 students per teacher at Central Elem.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Central Elem?
At Central Elem, the student body is approximately 84% White, 5% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Is Central Elem public or private?
Central Elem is a public K-12 school, overseen by Columbus.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.