1
What tradition at McCarter Elem should never be changed?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
401
Elementary
DISTRICT 399 · STATE 313
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·TOPEKA PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 201226001454
McCarter Elem
5512 SW 16th St, Topeka, KS 66604 · (785) 438-4660 · Shawnee County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL401 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
12.4:1
32 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.4:1 · STATE 13.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
68%
274 students
DISTRICT 79% · STATE 51%
Community
4
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 14 | 3% |
| Kindergarten | 55 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 61 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 67 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 72 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 73 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 59 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (55) is 7% smaller than its 5th grade class (59).
Student demographics
73%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 72% · 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
Test scores
KAP 2024-25 . % Meeting + ExceedingEnglish Language Arts
45.9%
KS avg 44.5%
Math
35.5%
KS avg 38.8%
What this means: On the KAP, Kansas's statewide test, about 46 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 36 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 | 45.9% | 35.5% |
| 2023-24 | 34.7% | 35.5% |
% 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
40.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
29.5%
based on KS schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+10.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 40% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 29% 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 McCarter Elem
McCarter Elem's state test result (40.3% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| McCarter Elem this school | 401 | 68.3% | 40.3% |
| McEachron Elem Topeka | 422 | 68.2% | 32.7% |
| McClure Elem Topeka | 301 | 69.1% | 31.9% |
| Randolph Elem Topeka | 346 | 72.8% | 31.6% |
| Chisholm Trail Elem Park City | 381 | 71.1% | 31.0% |
| Northview Elem Manhattan | 364 | 73.1% | 36.3% |
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 McCarter Elem ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Kansas | In Shawnee County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 40.3% | #363 of 625 | #16 of 30 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 35.5% | #401 of 625 | #16 of 30 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 45.9% | #370 of 625 | #14 of 30 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 401 | #188 of 714 | #19 of 30 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.4:1 | #156 of 539 | #8 of 29 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 72.6% | #19 of 540 | #3 of 29 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 68.3% | #182 of 658 | #12 of 30 |
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
401
+53 (+15%) vs 2020
+8% since 1990-91, when it was 373
Student : Teacher
12.4:1
was 10.6:1
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 | 401 | 32.3 | 12.4:1 | 68% (274) |
| 2023-24 | 392 | 32.4 | 12.1:1 | 71% (277) |
| 2022-23 | 389 | 33.2 | 11.7:1 | 76% (295) |
| 2020-21 | 348 | 33 | 10.6:1 | 62% (216) |
| 2017-18 | 401 | 31.2 | 12.8:1 | 66% (263) |
| 2015-16 | 407 | 24 | 17.0:1 | 71% (290) |
| 2010-11 | 453 | 31 | 14.6:1 | 70% (318) |
| 2000-01 | 343 | 20 | 17.1:1 | 42% (144) |
| 1990-91 | 373 | 17 | 21.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for McCarter Elem.
Since 2017-18: students unchanged (401 to 401); teachers up 4% (31.2 to 32.3).
About McCarter Elem
Topeka, Kansas, is home to McCarter Elem, a mid-sized elementary school. It teaches 401 students in pre-K through 5. It has 28% more students than the average for elementary schools in Kansas (about 313).
Topeka Public Schools counts 11,695 students in its 25 schools, and McCarter Elem is one of them.
White students make up 36% of enrollment at McCarter Elem, the largest share of any group. Beyond that, enrollment is 29% Hispanic, 21% multiracial, and 12% Black. In Shawnee County overall, about 75% of residents are White. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 73, compared with 70 nationally.
Based on 32.3 full-time-equivalent teachers, McCarter Elem has a ratio of 12.4:1. The average for elementary schools in Kansas, 13.2:1, is higher. Income data for the school show 68% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Among public schools in Shawnee County, the average eligibility rate is 54%.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for McCarter Elem is 29.5%, and its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 40.3%.
The school is in Shawnee County, where the median household earns about $67,104 a year, about 32% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 9% of residents are in poverty. Across Shawnee County, 54 public schools serve about 26,294 students.
Topeka West High is about 0.4 miles away, making it the nearest public school. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8. McCarter Elem is 3rd of 9 nearby schools by average proficiency rate.
The school's federal locale classification is City: Mid-size.
In 2024-25, the school enrolled 401, up from 348 in 2020-21. The number of students per teacher increased from 10.6 to 12.4 over 4 years.
Use the discussion section to ask about homework, tutoring, and testing dates at McCarter Elem. You can also rate the school on this page.
Shawnee County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
178,025
Census ACS
Median income
$67,104
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
32%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
54
26,294 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Topeka Public Schools
- Topeka HighHigh · 1,578 students
- Topeka West HighHigh · 971 students
- Highland Park HighHigh · 835 students
- Jardine ElementaryElementary · 729 students
- Ross ElementaryElementary · 563 students
- Jardine Middle SchoolMiddle · 508 students
Other schools in Topeka
- Washburn Rural HighHigh · 1,878 students
- Topeka HighHigh · 1,578 students
- Seaman HighHigh · 1,190 students
- Topeka West HighHigh · 971 students
- Washburn Rural Middle SchoolMiddle · 966 students
- Highland Park HighHigh · 835 students
Nearby schools
- Topeka West High0.4 mi · 971
- Hope Street Charter Academy0.9 mi · 103
- McClure Elem1.1 mi · 301
- Landon Middle School1.2 mi · 430
- Whitson Elem1.6 mi · 416
- Wanamaker Elem1.7 mi · 475
Frequently asked questions
About McCarter ElemHow many students attend McCarter Elem?
McCarter Elem enrolls approximately 401 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does McCarter Elem serve?
McCarter Elem serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at McCarter Elem?
The student-to-teacher ratio at McCarter Elem is approximately 12.4:1 (32 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at McCarter Elem?
At McCarter Elem, the student body is approximately 36% White, 29% Hispanic, 12% Black, 1% Asian, 21% Two or more.
Is McCarter Elem public or private?
McCarter Elem is a public K-12 school, overseen by Topeka Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.