An equity score of 40/100 ranks Nicholas County #110 of 171 districts in Kentucky (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,359 per pupil, Nicholas County ranks #153 of 171 Kentucky districts by per-pupil spending (Kentucky districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,119
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$12,359
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Nicholas County operates 2 public schools serving 1,119 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Kentucky. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined 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 Nicholas County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,359 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the bottom 18 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, 63.5% state, and 20.5% 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 40/100, ranked #110 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.
a 540:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 33.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 92.8% White, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% African American across the district's schools.
Nicholas County Elementary School accounts for 57.6% of all Nicholas County student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Nicholas County a distant remainder — means Nicholas County-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: combined. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Because it contains a majority of the affected population, enrollment-weighted aggregates will sit closer to this entity's reported fields than to those of smaller peers; an unweighted entity count answers a different question.
Nicholas County reports 64.5% free-lunch eligibility
The reported share sits between 62.5% and 75%, above a simple majority but below the highest descriptive band used here. 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.
Nicholas County student-counselor ratio is 540:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 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.
Nicholas County chronic absenteeism rate is 33.1% — 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.
Nicholas County has 2 schools, including 2 combined. Total enrollment is 1,119 students.
How much does Nicholas County spend per student?
Nicholas County spends $12,359 per student. The district has an equity score of 40/100, ranking #110 in Kentucky.
What is the demographic composition of Nicholas County?
Nicholas County students are 92.8% White, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% African American, 0.1% Asian, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Nicholas County?
Nicholas County has an equity score of 40/100, ranking #110 out of 171 districts in Kentucky.