An equity score of 53/100 ranks Powell County #76 of 171 districts in Kentucky (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,085 per pupil, Powell County ranks #79 of 171 Kentucky districts by per-pupil spending (Kentucky districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,130
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$14,085
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Powell County operates 6 public schools serving 2,130 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Kentucky. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 combined, 1 high, 1 middle 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 Powell County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,085 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 19.0% local, 51.7% state, and 29.3% 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 53/100, ranked #76 of 171 in Kentucky against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 6 schools offering Advanced Placement (2 AP courses district-wide), a 219.5:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 40.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 95.0% White, 2.0% Hispanic or Latino, 1.0% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Powell County Middle School, with a diversity index of 13.1/100.
Its largest campus is Powell County High School, enrolling 580 students (29% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Powell County Academy, at 55 students, a 11x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Enrollment across the district's NCES-reporting campuses fell 2% between 2022-23 and 2023-24 (2,130 to 2,087 students), and the student-teacher ratio widened by 0.7 students per teacher despite the decline, per the NCES Common Core of Data annual universe files.
Of the district's $33,577,000 in reported FY2023 expenditures, 51.4% went to instruction, 32% to support services, and 8.7% to capital outlay, a fairly typical instruction/support/capital split for a public school district. Figures come from the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey's function-level breakdown, not the aggregate per-pupil figure above.
Powell County High School accounts for 27.2% of all Powell County student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Powell County-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: high. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.
Powell County school enrollment varies 11× across entities
Powell County school enrollment ranges from 55 students (lowest) to 580 students (highest), a spread of 525 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.
Powell County reports 61.0% free-lunch eligibility
The reported share clears the 50% majority mark. 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.
Powell County student-counselor ratio is 220:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Powell County chronic absenteeism rate is 40.3% — 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.
Powell County has 6 schools, including 1 high, 4 combined, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 2,130 students.
How much does Powell County spend per student?
Powell County spends $14,085 per student. The district has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #76 in Kentucky.
What is the demographic composition of Powell County?
Powell County students are 95.0% White, 2.0% Hispanic or Latino, 1.0% African American, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Powell County?
Powell County has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #76 out of 171 districts in Kentucky.