Kansas Education Statistics 2026: Schools, Enrollment & Spending
Kansas public schools reported 471,334 students in 2025-26 across 285 unified school districts. The latest KSDE system profile lists 1,268 schools and 35,289 full-time-equivalent teachers.
Enrollment figures use the 2025-26 headcount report. Spending figures use the latest statewide district fiscal summary, covering the 2023-24 school year.
Kansas Public Education Snapshot
Reporting periods differ because enrollment and audited finance releases follow separate publication schedules.
Enrollment by Grade
The chart covers kindergarten through grade 12. Preschool and non-graded enrollment remain in the full table.
Kansas K-12 Headcount, 2025-26
Students reported in each grade
Kindergarten through grade 12 enrollment totaled 450,116 students, or 95.5% of the reported state total.
Chart analysis
- Grade 10 had the largest K-12 enrollment at 36,829.
- Kindergarten had the smallest K-12 cohort at 31,153.
- The difference between those cohorts was 5,676 students.
- Grades 9 through 12 accounted for 145,956 students.
- Grades 6 through 8 accounted for 105,971 students.
Full Kansas Enrollment Table
Headcount includes KAMS and virtual students but excludes students served at juvenile detention centers.
| Grade or group | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 1-year change | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preschool, at-risk | 11,598 | 12,415 | 11,455 | -960 | -7.7% |
| Preschool, with IEP | 7,036 | 6,686 | 6,438 | -248 | -3.7% |
| Kindergarten | 31,905 | 31,701 | 31,153 | -548 | -1.7% |
| Grade 1 | 33,201 | 32,151 | 31,919 | -232 | -0.7% |
| Grade 2 | 34,531 | 33,499 | 32,249 | -1,250 | -3.7% |
| Grade 3 | 33,680 | 34,768 | 33,762 | -1,006 | -2.9% |
| Grade 4 | 34,606 | 33,947 | 34,990 | +1,043 | +3.1% |
| Grade 5 | 34,722 | 34,935 | 34,116 | -819 | -2.3% |
| Grade 6 | 35,253 | 35,991 | 35,064 | -927 | -2.6% |
| Grade 7 | 35,229 | 35,571 | 35,222 | -349 | -1.0% |
| Grade 8 | 36,517 | 35,495 | 35,685 | +190 | +0.5% |
| Grade 9 | 37,686 | 37,369 | 35,979 | -1,390 | -3.7% |
| Grade 10 | 37,485 | 37,245 | 36,829 | -416 | -1.1% |
| Grade 11 | 36,913 | 36,712 | 36,533 | -179 | -0.5% |
| Grade 12 | 35,389 | 36,672 | 36,615 | -57 | -0.2% |
| Non-graded adults | 3,107 | 3,021 | 3,325 | +304 | +10.1% |
| State total | 478,858 | 477,178 | 471,334 | -5,844 | -1.2% |
Table analysis
- Statewide headcount fell by 5,844 students between 2024-25 and 2025-26.
- The one-year statewide change was -1.2%.
- Enrollment was 7,524 students lower than in 2023-24.
- Grade 9 recorded the largest numeric decline, down 1,390.
- Grade 2 declined by 1,250 students.
- Grade 4 recorded the largest K-12 increase, adding 1,043 students.
- Grade 8 increased by 190 students.
- Preschool-aged at-risk enrollment declined by 960 students.
- Preschool students without an IEP or at-risk designation are reported separately and excluded from the state total.
Enrollment Trend, School System and Spending
System counts, headcount enrollment and expenditures retain their original KSDE reporting periods.
Recent Enrollment Movement
Kansas public school headcount
Headcount declined in both annual comparisons, reaching 471,334 in 2025-26.
Trend analysis
- Enrollment fell by 1,680 from 2023-24 to 2024-25.
- The decline widened to 5,844 in the next annual comparison.
- The two-year decrease was 7,524 students, or 1.6%.
Current Operating Spending Mix
Share of reported 2023-24 operating expenditures
Instruction, student services and instructional support represented 69.8% of current operating expenditures.
Chart analysis
- Instruction and related student and support services accounted for 69.8%.
- Operations and maintenance represented 10.4%.
- Transportation and food service represented 8.8%.
- School and central administration combined represented 8.0%.
Kansas Enrollment Trend Table
| School year | Headcount | Annual change | Annual rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 478,858 | Base year | Base year |
| 2024-25 | 477,178 | -1,680 | -0.4% |
| 2025-26 | 471,334 | -5,844 | -1.2% |
School System Statistics
| Measure | Value | Reference year | Coverage note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public schools | 1,268 | 2024-25 | KSDE public school profile |
| Unified school districts | 285 | 2025-26 | USD count used for enrollment audits |
| Title I schools | 645 | 2024-25 | Schools identified in KSDE annual reporting |
| FTE teachers | 35,289 | 2024-25 | Includes special education teachers |
| Average teacher salary | $67,931 | 2024-25 | Includes supplemental, summer and fringe compensation |
| Average teacher experience | 13 years | 2024-25 | Statewide average |
| Average teacher age | 42.9 years | 2024-25 | Statewide average |
Table analysis
- Kansas reported 1,268 public schools and 285 unified school districts.
- Title I schools represented 645 of the listed public schools.
- The teacher workforce included 35,289 FTE positions.
- Average reported teacher experience was 13 years.
- The salary measure includes compensation categories beyond base contract salary.
District Fiscal Summary
| Spending measure | Amount | Unit | Reporting basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current operating expenditures | $7,223,979,823 | Nominal dollars | 2023-24 district fiscal summary |
| Current operating expenditures per pupil | $15,640 | Dollars per FTE pupil | 461,901.6 FTE |
| Nonoperating expenditures | $1,239,937,446 | Nominal dollars | Bonds, interest and capital outlay |
| Total expenditures | $8,463,917,269 | Nominal dollars | Operating plus nonoperating |
| Total expenditures per pupil | $18,324 | Dollars per FTE pupil | 461,901.6 FTE |
| FTE used for per-pupil calculation | 461,901.6 | Full-time-equivalent pupils | 2023-24 finance denominator |
Table analysis
- Total expenditures reached $8.464 billion.
- Current operating expenditures accounted for $7.224 billion.
- Nonoperating expenditures totaled $1.240 billion.
- Current operations represented about 85.4% of total expenditures.
- Nonoperating expenditures represented about 14.7%.
- The difference between total and current spending per pupil was $2,684.
- Dollar values are nominal and not adjusted for inflation or regional price differences.
Operating Expenditure Distribution
| Category | Share | Included services |
|---|---|---|
| Instructional and related services | 69.8% | Instruction, student services and instructional support |
| Operations and maintenance | 10.4% | Facilities operations and maintenance |
| Transportation and food service | 8.8% | Student transportation and food operations |
| School administration | 5.4% | Building-level administration |
| Other | 3.0% | Other reported operating functions |
| Central administration | 2.6% | District-level administration |
Table analysis
- The six reported categories sum to 100.0%.
- Instructional and related services were more than six times the operations and maintenance share.
- Transportation and food service exceeded the school administration share by 3.4 percentage points.
- Central administration was the smallest category at 2.6%.
What the Kansas Data Shows
The measures describe system scale, enrollment movement and reported expenditures without assigning causes.
Enrollment contraction
Public school headcount declined in each of the two latest annual comparisons. The decline accelerated from 1,680 students to 5,844 students.
Cohort differences
Grade-level changes were uneven. Grade 4 grew by 1,043 students while grade 9 declined by 1,390.
Operating and capital costs
Current operating spending and total spending answer different questions. Total expenditures add bonds, interest and capital outlay.
Headcount and finance enrollment
The 471,334 headcount should not be used as the denominator for the published per-pupil spending values. KSDE used 461,901.6 FTE pupils for those calculations.
Source and Methodology
Enrollment source
KSDE Headcount Enrollment: Public Schools 2025-2026
Compiled from Superintendent’s Organization Reports and Principal’s Building Reports.
School and finance source
Provides school, district, teacher and 2023-24 district fiscal statistics.
Supporting federal reference
NCES Common Core of Data FY2023 Finance Report
Federal state-level finance reference. Its FY2023 values are not substituted for the newer KSDE fiscal summary.
Geographic coverage
Kansas public unified school districts and public schools. Private accredited schools and nonaccredited private schools are outside the reported public-school totals.
Enrollment definition
Headcount includes students in the Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science and virtual students. Students served at juvenile detention centers are excluded.
Finance definition
Current operating expenditures cover recurring district operations. Nonoperating expenditures include bonds, interest and capital outlay.
The KSDE headcount publication identifies its enrollment figures as unaudited. Preschool students without an IEP or at-risk designation totaled 7,089 in 2025-26 but are excluded from the published state total because that group does not generate funding. Annual percentage changes were calculated from the published headcounts and rounded to one decimal place. Spending amounts are nominal dollars.
The 2026 title identifies the publication year, not a single common data year. Enrollment is from 2025-26, system characteristics are primarily from 2024-25, and spending is from 2023-24. Headcount, FTE enrollment, current expenditures and total expenditures are separate measures and should not be merged without a period and definition crosswalk.