Natoma Elem

Natoma Elem, a rural-scale primary school in Natoma, Kansas, operated by Paradise, teaches 57 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. By comparison, Kansas's public schools average about 313 students each, so Natoma Elem sits 82% smaller than that benchmark.

Across the 2 schools in Paradise (115 students total), Natoma Elem accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Natoma Elem logs that 89% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. Other groups include 7% multiracial, 4% Hispanic. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

On the resource side, Natoma Elem reports 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 6.0:1. The state averages around 13.2:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 65% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Osborne County runs at roughly 55%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Natoma Elem ranks in the top 10% of Kansas public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 31.1%; Natoma Elem posts 49.4%, +18.3 points above that line.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Osborne County) logs that the typical household earns roughly $63,011 per year, about 24% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 4%. Natoma Elem is one of 5 public schools in Osborne County (combined enrollment of about 593 students).

Natoma High (6-12) is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Natoma Elem at 1st of 8; the average score across the group is 27.7%.

The campus sits in a countryside setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Natoma Elem's enrollment has declined 23% since 2018, when it stood at 74 (now 57). The Hispanic share of enrollment declined from 8% to 4% over that span. Class-load math has pulled in: from 8.2:1 in 2018 to 6.0:1 in 2025.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.