Owensboro Public Schools

Listed by NCES as Owensboro Independent (district ID 2104590)

Public school district · Daviess County · Kentucky · NCES district ID 2104590

Owensboro Public Schools spent $16,080 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 90% of the other Kentucky districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $13,912). Its 10 schools enrolled 5,035 students in 2024-25; 51.3% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $15,085 per student, down 6.2% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 86% (Kentucky: 91.4%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among Kentucky districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Owensboro Public Schools in enrollment (4,472 to 5,563 students) and Owensboro Public Schools itself.

Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Owensboro Public Schools, FY23Owensboro Public Schools $16,080; Floyd County Schools $15,024; Marshall County Schools $14,559; The Nelson County Schools $14,451; Campbell County Schools $14,133; Muhlenberg County Public Schools $13,648; Barren County $13,580; Clark County Schools $13,438; Montgomery County Schools $12,347; Meade County Schools $11,339; State median, 1,000+ students $13,912.10k12k14k16k18kOwensboro Public Schools$16,080Floyd County Schools$15,024Marshall County Schools$14,559The Nelson County Schools$14,451Campbell County Schools$14,133Muhlenberg County Public Schoo…$13,648Barren County$13,580Clark County Schools$13,438Montgomery County Schools$12,347Meade County Schools$11,339State median, 1,000+ students $13,912
Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Owensboro Public Schools, FY23Owensboro Public Schools $16,080; Floyd County Schools $15,024; Marshall County Schools $14,559; The Nelson County Schools $14,451; Campbell County Schools $14,133; Muhlenberg County Public Schools $13,648; Barren County $13,580; Clark County Schools $13,438; Montgomery County Schools $12,347; Meade County Schools $11,339; State median, 1,000+ students $13,912.10k12k14k16k18kOwensboro Public Schools$16,080Floyd County Schools$15,024Marshall County Schools$14,559The Nelson County Schools$14,451Campbell County Schools$14,133Muhlenberg County Public Schools$13,648Barren County$13,580Clark County Schools$13,438Montgomery County Schools$12,347Meade County Schools$11,339State median, 1,000+ students $13,912
Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Owensboro Public Schools, FY23Owensboro Public Schools $16,080; Floyd County Schools $15,024; Marshall County Schools $14,559; The Nelson County Schools $14,451; Campbell County Schools $14,133; Muhlenberg County Public Schools $13,648; Barren County $13,580; Clark County Schools $13,438; Montgomery County Schools $12,347; Meade County Schools $11,339; State median, 1,000+ students $13,912.10k14k18kOwensboro Public Schools$16,080Floyd County Schools$15,024Marshall County Schools$14,559The Nelson County Schools$14,451Campbell County Schools$14,133Muhlenberg County Public Schools$13,648Barren County$13,580Clark County Schools$13,438Montgomery County Schools$12,347Meade County Schools$11,339State median, 1,000+ students $13,912
Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Owensboro Public Schools, FY23Owensboro Public Schools $16,080; Floyd County Schools $15,024; Marshall County Schools $14,559; The Nelson County Schools $14,451; Campbell County Schools $14,133; Muhlenberg County Public Schools $13,648; Barren County $13,580; Clark County Schools $13,438; Montgomery County Schools $12,347; Meade County Schools $11,339; State median, 1,000+ students $13,912.10k14k18kOwensboro Public Schools$16,080Floyd County Schools$15,024Marshall County Schools$14,559The Nelson County Schools$14,451Campbell County Schools$14,133Muhlenberg County Public Schools$13,648Barren County$13,580Clark County Schools$13,438Montgomery County Schools$12,347Meade County Schools$11,339State median, 1,000+ students $13,912

Where the money came from

$86,807,000 in revenue: 51.3% state, 26.0% local and 22.8% federal. Total spending including $4,953,000 of capital outlay was $88,540,000, or $17,567 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Owensboro Public Schools revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $44,518,000; Local $22,529,000; Federal $19,760,000; total $86,807,000.
  • State$44,518,000 51%
  • Local$22,529,000 26%
  • Federal$19,760,000 23%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 137 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment held steady from 2022-23 to 2024-25

5,040 students in 2022-23, 4,961 students in 2023-24, 5,035 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Owensboro Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 5,040, 2023-24: 4,961, 2024-25: 5,03502k4k6k2022-235,0402023-244,9612024-255,035
Owensboro Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 5,040, 2023-24: 4,961, 2024-25: 5,03502k4k6k2022-235,0402023-244,9612024-255,035
Owensboro Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 5,040, 2023-24: 4,961, 2024-25: 5,03502k4k6k2022-235,0402023-244,9612024-255,035
Owensboro Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 5,040, 2023-24: 4,961, 2024-25: 5,03502k4k6k2022-235,0402023-244,9612024-255,035

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-235,040367.513.7
2023-244,961361.913.7
2024-255,035352.714.3

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$22,583,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,481 per student

Owensboro Public Schools booked $22,583,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 382 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $59,118 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 74 in 100 Kentucky districts with a figure (state median $56,497, 171 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Kentucky teacher salary at $54,574 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$18,290,00081.0%
Special education$3,335,00014.8%
Vocational$49,0000.2%
Other programs$909,0004.0%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,894 in 2018-19, $3,778 in 2019-20, $4,344 in 2020-21, $4,319 in 2021-22, $4,481 in 2022-23.

Owensboro Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,894, 2019-20: $3,778, 2020-21: $4,344, 2021-22: $4,319, 2022-23: $4,48102k4k6k2018-19$3,8942019-20$3,7782020-21$4,3442021-22$4,3192022-23$4,481
Owensboro Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,894, 2019-20: $3,778, 2020-21: $4,344, 2021-22: $4,319, 2022-23: $4,48102k4k6k2018-19$3,8942019-20$3,7782020-21$4,3442021-22$4,3192022-23$4,481
Owensboro Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,894, 2019-20: $3,778, 2020-21: $4,344, 2021-22: $4,319, 2022-23: $4,48102k4k6k2018-19$3,8942019-20$3,7782020-21$4,3442021-22$4,3192022-23$4,481
Owensboro Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,894, 2019-20: $3,778, 2020-21: $4,344, 2021-22: $4,319, 2022-23: $4,48102k4k6k2018-19$3,8942019-20$3,7782020-21$4,3442021-22$4,3192022-23$4,481

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Owensboro Public Schools scored proficient or above: 39% in reading and 37% in math, against 44.7% in reading and 37.8% in math across Kentucky. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Kentucky, not across states.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtKentuckyStudents tested
Reading and language arts39%44.7%2,491
Math37%37.8%2,491

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

86% of the 348 students in Owensboro Public Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 91.4% across Kentucky. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtKentucky
Four-year graduation rate86%91.4%
Students in the class34849,023

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

5 elementary schools, 2,368 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Newton Parrish Elementary School54514.962.4%Schoolwide program
Sutton Elementary School53516.238.9%Schoolwide program
Estes Elementary School49213.587.8%Schoolwide program
Foust Elementary School40012.184.0%Schoolwide program
Cravens Elementary School39613.383.3%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

2 middle schools, 1,101 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Owensboro Middle School79012.767.7%Schoolwide program
Owensboro Innovation Middle School31116.355.0%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

2 high schools, 1,446 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Owensboro High School1,34216.659.6%Eligible, no program
Emerson Academy10410.488.5%Not Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 other school, 120 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Hager Preschool1209.984.2%Not Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

Contact Owensboro Public Schools

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Owensboro Public Schools

  1. Kentucky districts by spending per studentOwensboro Public Schools ranks 14 of 137 Kentucky districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($16,080).#14 of 137
  2. Every school district in KentuckyOwensboro Public Schools is the number 26 by size of 174 Kentucky districts, with 5,040 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#26 of 174
  3. Campbell County SchoolsThe next larger Kentucky district: 5,195 students in fall 2022, $14,133 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$14,133
  4. Meade County SchoolsThe next smaller Kentucky district: 4,966 students in fall 2022, $11,339 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$11,339
  5. Compare Owensboro Public Schools with Campbell County SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Owensboro High School, its largest high school1,342 students in 2024-25, 16.6 per teacher.1,342
  7. Teacher salary spending across KentuckyOwensboro Public Schools spent $59,118 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $56,497); spending, not a salary.$59,118
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Owensboro Public Schools

  1. How many schools and students are in Owensboro Public Schools?
    10 schools were open in 2024-25 (5 elementary, 2 middle, 2 high, 1 other), enrolling 5,035 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Owensboro Public Schools spend per student?
    $16,080 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Kentucky median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $13,912 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $15,085 per student, down 6.2% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Owensboro Public Schools' money come from?
    $86,807,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 51.3% state, 26.0% local and 22.8% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Owensboro Public Schools live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 1,154 of the 5,022 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 23.0%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Owensboro Public Schools spend on teacher salaries?
    $22,583,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,481 per student. Divided by the 382 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $59,118 per teacher, more than 74 in 100 Kentucky districts (state median $56,497). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Kentucky teacher salary at $54,574 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Owensboro Public Schools do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Owensboro Public Schools scored proficient or above: 39% in reading and 37% in math, against 44.7% in reading and 37.8% in math across Kentucky. Kentucky's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Owensboro Public Schools?
    86% of the 348 students in Owensboro Public Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 91.4% across Kentucky. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Owensboro Public Schools' NCES district ID?
    2104590. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .