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.