An equity score of 76/100 ranks Bell County #23 of 171 districts in Kentucky (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $15,416 per pupil, Bell County ranks #34 of 171 Kentucky districts by per-pupil spending (Kentucky districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,454
Total Enrollment
7
Schools
$15,416
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Bell County operates 7 public schools serving 2,454 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Kentucky. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 combined, 1 high schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Bell County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,416 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 171 Kentucky districts by per-pupil spending. See how Kentucky compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 16.8% local, 50.8% state, and 32.4% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 76/100, ranked #23 of 171 in Kentucky against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 7 schools offering Advanced Placement (4 AP courses district-wide), a 319.1:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 36.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 97.7% White, 0.7% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Yellow Creek School Center, with a diversity index of 9.7/100.
Its largest campus is Bell County High School, enrolling 622 students (26% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Frakes School Center, at 117 students, a 5x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Bell County High School accounts for 25.3% of all Bell County student enrollment
That concentration means Bell County-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: high. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.
Bell County school enrollment varies 5.3× across entities
Bell County school enrollment ranges from 117 students (lowest) to 622 students (highest), a spread of 505 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
The reported share is at least 75%, indicating a high concentration of measured economic need. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Bell County student-counselor ratio is 319:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Bell County is typically wider than the Bell County-aggregate figure suggests.
Bell County chronic absenteeism rate is 36.0% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.