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Owensboro, Kentucky - 10 schools
An equity score of 74/100 ranks Owensboro Independent #28 of 171 districts in Kentucky (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $15,009 per pupil, Owensboro Independent ranks #19 of 171 Kentucky districts by per-pupil spending (Kentucky districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
5,040
Total Enrollment
10
Schools
$15,009
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Owensboro Independent operates 10 public schools serving 5,040 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Kentucky. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 elementary, 2 high, 2 middle, 2 combined 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 Daviess County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,009 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 25.0% local, 51.9% state, and 23.1% 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 74/100, ranked #28 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 10 schools offering Advanced Placement (11 AP courses district-wide), a 298.8:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 26.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 54.1% White, 15.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Hager Preschool, with a diversity index of 71.9/100.
Its largest campus is Owensboro High School, enrolling 1,342 students (27% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Emerson Academy, at 104 students, a 13x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Owensboro High School accounts for 26.6% of all Owensboro Independent student enrollment
That concentration means Owensboro Independent-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.
Owensboro Independent school enrollment varies 13× across entities
Owensboro Independent school enrollment ranges from 104 students (lowest) to 1,342 students (highest), a spread of 1,238 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.
Owensboro Independent has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 68.5% 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.
Owensboro Independent student-counselor ratio is 299:1 — 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 Owensboro Independent is typically wider than the Owensboro Independent-aggregate figure suggests.
Owensboro Independent chronic absenteeism rate is 26.6% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within Owensboro Independent is typically wider than the Owensboro Independent-aggregate figure suggests.