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Barbourville, Kentucky - 14 schools
An equity score of 95/100 ranks Knox County #2 of 171 districts in Kentucky (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $15,050 per pupil, Knox County ranks #18 of 171 Kentucky districts by per-pupil spending (Kentucky districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,943
Total Enrollment
14
Schools
$15,050
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Knox County operates 14 public schools serving 3,943 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Kentucky. The school portfolio breaks down into 11 combined, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary 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 Knox County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,050 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 18 of 171 Kentucky districts by per-pupil spending. See how Kentucky compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 11.7% local, 62.4% state, and 25.9% 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 95/100, ranked #2 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 14 schools offering Advanced Placement (3 AP courses district-wide), a 317:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 46.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 95.2% White, 1.7% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Knox Appalachian School, with a diversity index of 27.1/100.
Its largest campus is Knox Central High School, enrolling 720 students (19% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Knox Inspire Academy, at 11 students, a 65x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Knox Central High School accounts for 18.3% of all Knox County student enrollment
That concentration means Knox 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.
Knox County school enrollment varies 65× across entities
Knox County school enrollment ranges from 11 students (lowest) to 720 students (highest), a spread of 709 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Knox County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 83.6% 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 — including this one — 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.
Knox County student-counselor ratio is 317:1 — 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 Knox County is typically wider than the Knox County-aggregate figure suggests.
Knox County chronic absenteeism rate is 46.4% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Knox County has 14 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 11 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 3,943 students.
How much does Knox County spend per student?
Knox County spends $15,050 per student. The district has an equity score of 95/100, ranking #2 in Kentucky.
What is the demographic composition of Knox County?
Knox County students are 95.2% White, 1.7% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% African American, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 14 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Knox County?
Knox County has an equity score of 95/100, ranking #2 out of 171 districts in Kentucky.