Elementary Schools in Paola

Summary:

The Paola school district in Kansas is home to two elementary schools: Sunflower Elementary and Cottonwood Elementary. These schools serve students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade, providing a strong educational foundation for the community.

Sunflower Elementary stands out as the top-performing school in the Paola district, consistently ranking higher than the state and district averages on the Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) tests for English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. In the 2024-2025 school year, Sunflower Elementary's proficiency rates were significantly above the Paola district and Kansas state averages, with 61.92% proficient or better in ELA (vs. 51.78% district, 44.47% state) and 45.42% in Math (vs. 43.05% district, 38.73% state). The school has maintained a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger, placing it in the top 65 schools out of 264 in the Paola district, and has a relatively low chronic absenteeism rate of 19.5% compared to the district average.

In contrast, Cottonwood Elementary serves the younger grades (PK-2) and has a higher percentage of free/reduced lunch recipients at 44.85% compared to 40.9% at Sunflower Elementary. Cottonwood Elementary also has a lower student-teacher ratio of 12.1 compared to 13.7 at Sunflower Elementary, and spends slightly more per student at $10,042 compared to $9,877 at Sunflower Elementary.

District Detail

1115 E 303rd Street
Paola, KS 66071

(913) 294-8000

SchoolDigger Rank:
65^th of 264 Kansas districts

See the 2025 Kansas District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 1,732

Primary Schools: 2
Middle Schools: 1
High Schools: 1
Alternative Schools: 0

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				KAP English Language Arts (2025)				KAP Mathematics (2025)				KAP Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	KAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	KAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	KAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	KAP English Language Arts All Grades	KAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	KAP Mathematics 4th Grade	KAP Mathematics 5th Grade	KAP Mathematics All Grades	KAP Science 5th Grade	KAP Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sunflower Elementary	Public	3-5	1401 E 303rd St	Paola	66071	Miami County	Paola	No	No	No	Yes	(913) 294-8040	373	29	12.8	40.5%	323 (86.6%)	3 (0.8%)	26 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.4%)	65.4	216^th of 656 public elementary schools	67.1%		68.6	176^th of 653 public elementary schools	73.0%	40	59.0	58.3	66.9	61.9	37.1	53.3	44.9	45.4	54.4	54.4	$12,947	$3,272	$9,675
Cottonwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	709 N. Hedge Lane	Paola	66071	Miami County	Paola	No	No	No	Yes	(913) 294-8050	379	28	13.6	41.4%	325 (85.8%)	5 (1.3%)	27 (7.1%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.7%)								(n/a)											$14,992	$4,038	$10,954

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Osawatomie	7.11 mi	5	229^th
Louisburg	10.35 mi	6	5^th
Spring Hill	11.37 mi	11	49^th
Gardner Edgerton	14.23 mi	11	107^th
Wellsville	15.47 mi	3	181^st

See the top KS Kansas districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Kansas State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.