Pauline Central Primary

Pauline Central Primary is an average-sized elementary-level community in Topeka, Kansas, operated by Auburn-Washburn. The school works with 406 students in grades pre-K through 3. Enrollment runs roughly 30% above the state mean of about 313.

Within Auburn-Washburn, which oversees 9 schools and 5,866 students, Pauline Central Primary is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, Pauline Central Primary records that White students make up the majority at 65%. The remainder consists of 16% Hispanic, 11% multiracial, 7% Black. By comparison, Shawnee County as a whole is about 75% White, so the school skews visibly less White than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, The school currently runs with 37 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 11.0:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.2:1, putting Pauline Central Primary tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 71% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is north of Shawnee County's rate of about 54%.

After controlling for student poverty, Pauline Central Primary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 28.3%; this one delivers 27.9%.

In the broader community, community-level numbers for Shawnee County indicate median household income runs about $67,104, 32% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. In all, Shawnee County runs 54 public schools (combined enrollment of about 26,294 students), of which Pauline Central Primary is one.

Pauline South Intermediate is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.7 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Pauline Central Primary. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Pauline Central Primary ranks 6th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 33.2%.

The school occupies a suburban site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Pauline Central Primary has fell 16%, going from 482 students in 2018 to 406 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment increased from 7% to 16% over that span. Class-load math has pulled in: from 12.7:1 in 2018 to 11.0:1 in 2025.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.