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Benton, Kentucky - 11 schools
An equity score of 26/100 ranks Marshall County #148 of 171 districts in Kentucky (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,197 per pupil, Marshall County ranks #124 of 171 Kentucky districts by per-pupil spending (Kentucky districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
4,495
Total Enrollment
11
Schools
$12,197
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Marshall County operates 11 public schools serving 4,495 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Kentucky. The school portfolio breaks down into 8 combined, 2 middle, 1 high 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 Marshall County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,197 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 34.6% local, 49.4% state, and 16.1% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 26/100, ranked #148 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 1 of 11 schools offering Advanced Placement (13 AP courses district-wide), a 272.2:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 14.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 91.4% White, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Purchase Youth Village, with a diversity index of 31.4/100.
Its largest campus is Marshall County High School, enrolling 1,201 students (28% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Purchase Youth Village, at 22 students, a 55x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Marshall County High School accounts for 26.7% of all Marshall County student enrollment
That concentration means Marshall 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.
Marshall County school enrollment varies 55× across entities
Marshall County school enrollment ranges from 22 students (lowest) to 1,201 students (highest), a spread of 1,179 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Marshall County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 58.4% 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.
Marshall County student-counselor ratio is 272:1 — 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 Marshall County is typically wider than the Marshall County-aggregate figure suggests.
Marshall County chronic absenteeism rate is 14.2% — low (typically associated with lower-than-average attendance disruption; districts in this range often have attendance interventions, robust transportation, or smaller catchments that reduce barriers)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Marshall County has 11 schools, including 1 high, 8 combined, 2 middle. Total enrollment is 4,495 students.
How much does Marshall County spend per student?
Marshall County spends $12,197 per student. The district has an equity score of 26/100, ranking #148 in Kentucky.
What is the demographic composition of Marshall County?
Marshall County students are 91.4% White, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% African American, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 11 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Marshall County?
Marshall County has an equity score of 26/100, ranking #148 out of 171 districts in Kentucky.