McCarter Elementary

Summary:

McCarter Elementary is a public elementary school in Topeka, Kansas, serving 389 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Topeka Public Schools district, which is ranked 245 out of 266 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While McCarter Elementary's academic performance is generally higher than the Topeka Public Schools district average, it still lags behind the state average. The school's standout performance is in science, where 47.76% of students were proficient or better in 2023-2024, significantly higher than the district (20.12%) and state (32.28%) averages. However, the school's overall ranking within Kansas has declined over time, from 166 out of 667 elementary schools in 2018-2019 to 373 out of 653 in 2023-2024. Interestingly, the nearby Whitson Elementary, also part of the Topeka Public Schools district, has consistently outperformed McCarter Elementary on state assessments, despite serving a similar high-poverty student population.

In contrast, the elementary schools in the neighboring Auburn-Washburn district, such as Farley and Indian Hills, significantly outperform McCarter Elementary and the Topeka Public Schools district as a whole on academic measures. This suggests that factors beyond just student demographics, such as district-level policies and resources, may be contributing to the academic success of these schools.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 5512 SW 16th St
       Topeka, KS  66604


(785) 438-4660

District: Topeka Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
373rd of 653 Kansas Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $12,507 Help


Students who attend McCarter Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Landon Middle School
High:    Topeka West High

Student/teacher ratio:  11.7 Help
Number of students:  389

Racial breakdown:

White:
46.0%
Hispanic:
25.4%
Two or more races:
14.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  75.8% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details McCarter Elementary ranks worse than 57.1% of elementary schools in Kansas. It also ranks 2nd among 14 ranked elementary schools in the Topeka Public Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 45.15. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Student population at McCarter Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (46%), Hispanic (25.4%), two or more races (14.4%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 75.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at McCarter Elementary is 11.7, which is the 4th best among 14 elementary schools in the Topeka Public Schools District. (See more...)
Help
Compare McCarter Elementary employs 33.2 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at McCarter Elementary is $12,507. 10 elementary schools in the Topeka Public Schools District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

McCarter Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks McCarter Elementary 373rd of 653 Kansas public elementary schools. (See McCarter Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Topeka Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Topeka Public Schools 245th of 266 Kansas school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for McCarter Elementary.

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Rank History for McCarter Elementary

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Compare

Rank History for all students at McCarter Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools KS State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 67.73 196th 585 66.5%
2007 76.36 106th 600 82.3%
2008 82.00 46th 614 92.5%
2009 66.33 230th 621 63.0%
2010 72.39 149th 630 76.3%
2011 50.61 390th 631 38.2%
2012 55.14 387th 660 41.4%
2013 50.87 418th 668 37.4%
2015 27.91 540th 678 20.4%
2016 24.75 524th 656 20.1%
2017 46.13 369th 659 44.0%
2018 68.57 174th 656 73.5%
2019 70.16 166th 667 75.1%
2021 50.68 336th 670 49.9%
2022 42.40 403rd 668 39.7%
2023 42.01 389th 660 41.1%
2024 45.15 373rd 653 42.9%
See the entire list of Kansas Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at McCarter Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools KS State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 80.03 1st 15 93.3%
2022 36.19 19th 29 34.5%
2024 57.55 15th 41 63.4%
See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at McCarter Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools KS State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 53.53 60th 140 57.1%
2022 30.39 225th 305 26.2%
2023 52.93 131st 296 55.7%
2024 38.01 178th 306 41.8%
See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at McCarter Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools KS State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 78.90 44th 512 91.4%
2019 82.01 26th 509 94.9%
2022 54.83 207th 512 59.6%
2023 48.31 268th 541 50.5%
2024 42.55 323rd 546 40.8%
See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at McCarter Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools KS State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 63.49 197th 574 65.7%
2019 72.27 132nd 591 77.7%
2021 57.89 234th 591 60.4%
See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at McCarter Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools KS State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 53.53 60th 140 57.1%
See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at McCarter Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools KS State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 72.04 128th 575 77.7%
2019 67.42 151st 586 74.2%
2021 42.98 359th 605 40.7%
See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at McCarter Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools KS State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 85.69 12th 207 94.2%
2019 86.68 15th 235 93.6%
2021 92.20 8th 229 96.5%
2022 51.87 108th 254 57.5%
2023 24.32 213th 245 13.1%
2024 38.61 170th 260 34.6%
See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at McCarter Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools KS State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 62.88 190th 574 66.9%
2019 64.07 183rd 592 69.1%
2021 56.87 236th 587 59.8%
2022 56.51 242nd 596 59.4%
2023 59.92 213th 584 63.5%
2024 62.10 191st 579 67.0%
See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Kansas State Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

McCarter Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Kansas State Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Open Quote McCarter is an excellent school with excellent teachers and staff. Close Quote



Enrollment information for McCarter Elementary

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 357 22 7 14 9 n/a n/a 0 409
1989 326 22 7 10 9 n/a n/a 0 374
1990 372 25 6 9 10 n/a n/a 0 422
1991 326 26 3 12 6 n/a n/a 0 373
1992 301 37 2 13 9 n/a n/a 0 362
1993 281 34 3 10 8 n/a n/a 0 336
1994 275 37 2 9 8 n/a n/a 0 331
1995 246 63 2 22 18 n/a n/a 0 351
1996 246 63 2 22 18 n/a n/a 0 351
1997 275 75 7 30 18 n/a n/a 0 405
1998 276 69 5 28 10 n/a n/a 0 388
1999 249 65 4 16 10 n/a n/a 0 344
2000 239 59 3 16 15 n/a n/a 0 332
2001 261 56 4 11 11 n/a n/a 0 343
2002 235 52 6 59 9 n/a n/a 0 361
2003 235 52 6 59 9 n/a n/a 0 361
2004 214 44 2 69 6 n/a n/a 55 390
2005 227 32 3 77 7 n/a n/a 53 399
2006 202 74 4 97 5 n/a n/a 6 388
2007 204 67 4 79 6 n/a n/a 3 363
2008 207 87 5 84 6 n/a n/a 4 393
2009 227 95 6 93 6 n/a n/a 0 427
2010 236 75 5 85 4 1 30 0 436
2011 279 56 7 63 7 1 40 0 453
2012 233 52 7 101 1 1 37 0 432
2013 224 62 7 96 0 0 42 0 431
2014 218 64 4 103 2 1 41 0 433
2015 209 57 6 103 3 1 42 0 421
2016 197 49 5 109 3 3 41 0 407
2017 186 52 5 97 2 3 56 0 401
2018 188 50 3 99 7 5 49 0 401
2019 184 35 0 94 6 1 54 0 374
2020 172 29 0 91 0 0 66 0 358
2021 165 31 0 97 0 0 55 0 348
2022 170 39 1 99 2 0 54 0 365
2023 179 49 1 99 5 0 56 0 389

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at McCarter Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 409 18.0 22.7 0
1989 374 19.0 19.6 n/a
1990 422 19.9 21.2 0
1991 373 17.4 21.4 n/a
1992 362 18.8 19.2 34.8
1993 336 19.4 17.3 25.9
1994 331 19.9 16.6 32
1995 351 18.0 19.5 47
1996 351 18.0 19.5 47
1997 405 18.2 22.3 40.2
1998 388 23.1 16.8 42
1999 344 15.5 22.2 45.3
2000 332 20.0 16.6 42.5
2001 343 20.5 16.7 42
2002 361 23.0 15.7 57.6
2003 361 23.0 15.7 57.6
2004 390 28.0 13.9 66.9
2005 399 25.6 15.6 67.1
2006 388 26.5 14.6 63.4
2007 363 30.9 11.7 61.1
2008 393 28.8 13.6 61.7
2009 427 31.9 13.4 63.9
2010 436 31.4 13.8 66.1
2011 453 31.6 14.3 70.2
2012 432 37.1 11.6 67.6
2013 431 31.8 13.5 71
2014 433 30.9 14.0 72.1
2015 421 30.0 14.0 73.9
2016 407 24.0 16.9 71.3
2017 401 26.8 14.9 54.9
2018 401 31.2 12.8 65.6
2019 374 29.2 12.7 63.4
2020 358 28.2 12.6 66.2
2021 348 33.2 10.4 62.1
2022 365 29.2 12.4 52.9
2023 389 33.2 11.7 75.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio McCarter Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 409 18.0 22.7 0
1989 374 19.0 19.6 n/a
1990 422 19.9 21.2 0
1991 373 17.4 21.4 n/a
1992 362 18.8 19.2 34.8
1993 336 19.4 17.3 25.9
1994 331 19.9 16.6 32
1995 351 18.0 19.5 47
1996 351 18.0 19.5 47
1997 405 18.2 22.3 40.2
1998 388 23.1 16.8 42
1999 344 15.5 22.2 45.3
2000 332 20.0 16.6 42.5
2001 343 20.5 16.7 42
2002 361 23.0 15.7 57.6
2003 361 23.0 15.7 57.6
2004 390 28.0 13.9 66.9
2005 399 25.6 15.6 67.1
2006 388 26.5 14.6 63.4
2007 363 30.9 11.7 61.1
2008 393 28.8 13.6 61.7
2009 427 31.9 13.4 63.9
2010 436 31.4 13.8 66.1
2011 453 31.6 14.3 70.2
2012 432 37.1 11.6 67.6
2013 431 31.8 13.5 71
2014 433 30.9 14.0 72.1
2015 421 30.0 14.0 73.9
2016 407 24.0 16.9 71.3
2017 401 26.8 14.9 54.9
2018 401 31.2 12.8 65.6
2019 374 29.2 12.7 63.4
2020 358 28.2 12.6 66.2
2021 348 33.2 10.4 62.1
2022 365 29.2 12.4 52.9
2023 389 33.2 11.7 75.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for McCarter Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $1,847 (14.8%) $10,660 (85.2%) $12,507

Data source: Kansas Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on McCarter Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 166th of 667 Elementary schoolsRanks 389th of 660 Elementary schools
 34.1%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (McCarter Elementary)33.934
 0.1%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Topeka Public Schools)24.423.1
 1.3%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Kansas)40.638.1
 2.5%
3rd Grade Mathematics (McCarter Elementary)59.345.3
 14%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Topeka Public Schools)38.532.6
 5.8%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Kansas)50.350.4
 0.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (McCarter Elementary)56.633.3
 23.3%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Topeka Public Schools)32.728.2
 4.6%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Kansas)47.642.8
 4.8%
4th Grade Mathematics (McCarter Elementary)60.436.4
 24%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Topeka Public Schools)28.224.1
 4.1%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Kansas)36.137.6
 1.5%
5th Grade English Language Arts (McCarter Elementary)48.632.3
 16.3%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Topeka Public Schools)31.824.4
 7.4%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Kansas)43.539.6
 4%
5th Grade Mathematics (McCarter Elementary)48.628.6
 20%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Topeka Public Schools)27.120.5
 6.6%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Kansas)31.931.3
 0.6%
5th Grade Science (McCarter Elementary)58.642.9
 15.7%
   5th Grade Science (Topeka Public Schools)31.629.3
 2.3%
   5th Grade Science (Kansas)43.142.1
 1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students374389
 4%
African American3549
 40%
American Indian65
 16.7%
Asian01
Hispanic9499
 5.3%
Pacific Islander10
 100%
White184179
 2.7%
Two or More Races5456
 3.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients63.4%75.8%
 12.5%


Schools Near McCarter Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about McCarter Elementary

In the 2022-23 school year, 389 students attended McCarter Elementary.

Students at McCarter Elementary are 46% White, 25% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races, 13% African American, 1% American Indian.

McCarter Elementary ranks 373rd of 653 Kansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students who attend McCarter Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Landon Middle School
High : Topeka West High


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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.





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