Central Elem

Central Elem is one of the reasonably sized elementary campuss in Dodge City, Kansas, one of the schools within Dodge City, with 381 students on its rolls from grades K through 5. That puts it 22% above the typical public school in Kansas, which averages around 313 students.

Dodge City runs 11 schools in total, collectively educating 7,268 students. Central Elem is one of those campuses.

On the student-mix side, Central Elem reports that the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic (90%); the rest comes out to 6% White. That is visibly more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 59%.

In terms of school funding signals, Central Elem logs 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 18.5:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.2:1, putting Central Elem higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 95% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Ford County runs at roughly 80%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Central Elem tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 16.7% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 13.6%.

Across the wider county, Ford County reports that the typical household earns roughly $70,781 per year, roughly 21% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Central Elem is one of 15 public schools in Ford County (combined enrollment of about 7,836 students).

The closest other public school is Comanche Middle School, roughly 0.4 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Central Elem at 9th of 9; the average score across the group is 21.4%.

Central Elem operates from a town-based location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count climbed 46%: 261 students in 2018 compared to 381 in 2025. Class-load math has grew: from 15.3:1 in 2018 to 18.5:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, the feed for Central Elem typically covers fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.