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What clubs or activities at Sunflower Elem are worth joining?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
373
Elementary
DISTRICT 376 · STATE 313
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PAOLA·NCES 201050001627
Sunflower Elem
1401 E 303rd St, Paola, KS 66071 · (913) 294-8040 · Miami County
GRADES 03–05ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL373 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
12.9:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.3:1 · STATE 13.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
40%
151 students
DISTRICT 38% · STATE 51%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Paola. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
KAP 2024-25 . % Meeting + ExceedingEnglish Language Arts
61.9%
KS avg 44.5% . +11.4pp since 2023
Math
45.4%
KS avg 38.8% . -2.8pp since 2023
What this means: On the KAP, Kansas's statewide test, about 62 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 45 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Kansas schools, those numbers are about 45 and 39. Reading and writing scores are up about 11 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 3 points.
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
52.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
42.8%
based on KS schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+9.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 52% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 43% 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 →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
373
-45 (-11%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
12.9:1
was 14.2:1
% White
87%
was 90%
% Hispanic
7%
was 5%
% Black
1%
was 1%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About Sunflower Elem
Sunflower Elem is an average-sized primary school in Paola, Kansas, run under Paola. The school enrolls 373 students in grades 3 through 5.
Paola comprises 4 schools with combined enrollment of 1,732 students; Sunflower Elem is among them.
In terms of who attends, Sunflower Elem lists that the student body is overwhelmingly White (87%). Beyond that, the school lists 7% Hispanic, 5% multiracial. That composition is broadly in line with Miami County as a whole.
Looking at school resources, On paper, Sunflower Elem has 29 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 12.9:1. That tracks the state average closely. About 40% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.
On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Sunflower Elem performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 42.8%, the actual is 52.0%, a residual of +9.2 points.
In the area at large, the surrounding county (Miami County) reports that the typical household earns roughly $89,000 per year, 31% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. Sunflower Elem is one of 17 public schools in Miami County (combined enrollment of about 6,529 students).
The closest other public school is Paola High, roughly 0.1 miles away. Within five miles, there are 3 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Sunflower Elem at 1st of 6; the average score across the group is 30.3%.
The campus sits in a town-based setting.
Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Sunflower Elem has ticked down 11%, going from 418 students in 2018 to 373 in 2025. Class-load math has fell: from 14.2:1 in 2018 to 12.9:1 in 2025.
On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Miami County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
34,938
Census ACS
Median income
$89,000
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
17
6,529 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Paola
- Paola HighHigh · 567 students
- Paola MiddleMiddle · 413 students
- Cottonwood ElemElementary · 379 students
Other schools in Paola
- Paola HighHigh · 567 students
- Paola MiddleMiddle · 413 students
- Cottonwood ElemElementary · 379 students
Nearby schools
- Paola High0.1 mi · 567
- Cottonwood Elem0.2 mi · 379
- Paola Middle0.3 mi · 413
- Osawatomie Middle School7.4 mi · 195
- Osawatomie High7.9 mi · 295
- Osawatomie Virtual School7.9 mi · 18
Frequently asked questions
About Sunflower ElemHow large is Sunflower Elem?
Sunflower Elem enrolls approximately 373 students in grades 03-05.
What grades does Sunflower Elem serve?
Sunflower Elem serves grades 03-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sunflower Elem?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Sunflower Elem is approximately 12.9:1 (29 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Sunflower Elem?
Sunflower Elem reports a student body of 87% White, 7% Hispanic, 1% Black, 5% Two or more.
Who oversees Sunflower Elem?
Sunflower Elem is overseen by Paola in Miami County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.