Starside Elem

Starside Elem is a moderately sized K-5 school in De Soto, Kansas, part of De Soto. The school hosts 428 students in grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 313 students per school, that is 37% bigger than typical.

Starside Elem is one of 13 schools operated by De Soto, a district that educates 7,067 students overall.

On the student-mix side, Starside Elem lists that White students make up the majority at 56%. The remainder breaks down as 38% Hispanic, 4% multiracial. That is meaningfully less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 79%.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 39 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 11.0:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.2:1, putting Starside Elem tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 52% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Johnson County runs at roughly 27%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Starside Elem sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 37.3%; this one delivers 39.3%.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Johnson County) records that median household earnings sit near $109,208, about 58% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 3%. Across Johnson County's 168 public schools (combined enrollment of about 93,598 students), Starside Elem is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Virtual Education Program, roughly 0.1 miles away. Within five miles, there are 3 other public schools. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Starside Elem ranks 6th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 48.1%.

The campus sits in an outlying setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Starside Elem's enrollment has fell 11% since 2018, when it stood at 480 (now 428). Hispanic enrollment moved from 29% to 38% across the same window. Class-load math has tightened: from 12.6:1 in 2018 to 11.0:1 in 2025.

On allk12, members of the Starside Elem community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.