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Grayson, Kentucky - 11 schools
An equity score of 37/100 ranks Carter County #115 of 171 districts in Kentucky (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,978 per pupil, Carter County ranks #132 of 171 Kentucky districts by per-pupil spending (Kentucky districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
4,138
Total Enrollment
11
Schools
$11,978
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Carter County operates 11 public schools serving 4,138 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Kentucky. The school portfolio breaks down into 7 combined, 2 high, 2 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Carter County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,978 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 171 Kentucky districts by per-pupil spending. See how Kentucky compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 16.0% local, 67.0% state, and 17.0% 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 37/100, ranked #115 of 171 in Kentucky against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 11 schools offering Advanced Placement (5 AP courses district-wide), a 446.9:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 33.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 96.0% White, 1.6% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Carter Virtual Academy, with a diversity index of 12.2/100.
Its largest campus is East Carter County High School, enrolling 678 students (17% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Carter Virtual Academy, at 47 students, a 14x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
East Carter County High School accounts for 16.4% of all Carter County student enrollment
That concentration means Carter County-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Carter County school enrollment varies 14× across entities
Carter County school enrollment ranges from 47 students (lowest) to 678 students (highest), a spread of 631 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Carter County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 61.2% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Carter County student-counselor ratio is 447:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Carter County chronic absenteeism rate is 33.3% — 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.
Carter County has 11 schools, including 2 high, 7 combined, 2 middle. Total enrollment is 4,138 students.
How much does Carter County spend per student?
Carter County spends $11,978 per student. The district has an equity score of 37/100, ranking #115 in Kentucky.
What is the demographic composition of Carter County?
Carter County students are 96.0% White, 1.6% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% African American, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 11 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Carter County?
Carter County has an equity score of 37/100, ranking #115 out of 171 districts in Kentucky.