Paul B Cooper Elem

Paul B Cooper Elem operates as a reasonably sized primary school in Wichita, Kansas, part of Derby. Current enrollment sits at 278 students spanning grades pre-K through 5.

Across the 13 schools in Derby (7,416 students total), Paul B Cooper Elem accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Paul B Cooper Elem records that the most-represented group is Hispanic (42%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest consists of 34% White, 9% multiracial, 6% Asian, 6% Black. The wider county runs roughly 17% Hispanic, putting the school's mix considerably more Hispanic than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, Paul B Cooper Elem lists 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 10.3:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.2:1 average. About 83% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Sedgwick County runs at roughly 63%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Paul B Cooper Elem sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 22.2%; this one delivers 21.2%.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Sedgwick County) shows that the typical household earns roughly $69,365 per year, roughly 32% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. In all, Sedgwick County runs 160 public schools (combined enrollment of about 84,569 students), of which Paul B Cooper Elem is one.

Oaklawn Elem is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.6 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Paul B Cooper Elem at 2nd of 7; the average score across the group is 13.7%.

The school occupies a bedroom-community site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 12%: 317 students in 2018 compared to 278 in 2025. Over the same period, the Asian share shrank from 16% to 6%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 12.0:1 in 2018 to 10.3:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.