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Irvine, Kentucky - 6 schools
An equity score of 52/100 ranks Estill County #78 of 171 districts in Kentucky (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,010 per pupil, Estill County ranks #77 of 171 Kentucky districts by per-pupil spending (Kentucky districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,202
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$13,010
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Estill County operates 6 public schools serving 2,202 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Kentucky. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 elementary, 2 combined, 1 high, 1 middle 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 Estill County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,010 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 14.5% local, 67.4% state, and 18.1% 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 52/100, ranked #78 of 171 in Kentucky against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 366.1:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 33.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 95.5% White, 1.9% Hispanic or Latino, 0.5% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is South Irvine Early Learning Center, with a diversity index of 11.7/100.
Its largest campus is Estill County High School, enrolling 643 students (29% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Estill County Success Academy, at 58 students, a 11x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Estill County High School accounts for 29.1% of all Estill County student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Estill 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.
Estill County school enrollment varies 11× across entities
Estill County school enrollment ranges from 58 students (lowest) to 643 students (highest), a spread of 585 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.
Estill County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 68.7% 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). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. 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.
Estill County student-counselor ratio is 366:1 — 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.
Estill County chronic absenteeism rate is 33.2% — 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.
Estill County has 6 schools, including 1 high, 2 elementary, 1 middle, 2 combined. Total enrollment is 2,202 students.
How much does Estill County spend per student?
Estill County spends $13,010 per student. The district has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #78 in Kentucky.
What is the demographic composition of Estill County?
Estill County students are 95.5% White, 1.9% Hispanic or Latino, 0.5% African American, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Estill County?
Estill County has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #78 out of 171 districts in Kentucky.