Rowan County

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Morehead, Kentucky - 10 schools

An equity score of 33/100 ranks Rowan County #130 of 171 districts in Kentucky (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $11,750 per pupil, Rowan County ranks #146 of 171 Kentucky districts by per-pupil spending (Kentucky districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

3,429
Total Enrollment
10
Schools
$11,750
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Rowan County operates 10 public schools serving 3,429 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 Rowan County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,750 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 28.4% local, 55.0% state, and 16.6% 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 33/100, ranked #130 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 10 schools offering Advanced Placement (7 AP courses district-wide), a 401.1:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 42.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 87.0% White, 5.5% African American, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Morehead Youth Development Center, with a diversity index of 61.3/100.

Its largest campus is Rowan County Senior High School, enrolling 904 students (27% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Bluegrass Discovery Academy Middle, at 14 students, a 65x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Rowan County Senior High School accounts for 26.4% of all Rowan County student enrollment

That concentration means Rowan 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Rowan County school enrollment varies 65× across entities

Rowan County school enrollment ranges from 14 students (lowest) to 904 students (highest), a spread of 890 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Rowan County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 70.0% 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.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Rowan County student-counselor ratio is 401:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)

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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Rowan County chronic absenteeism rate is 42.4% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

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 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.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

16.6%
Federal
55.0%
State
28.4%
Local

Funding Equity

33
Equity Score
130 / 171
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores below average on funding equity. High reliance on local revenue or lower spending may contribute.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 10 schools in Rowan County.

White 87.0%
Hispanic or Latino 4.1%
African American 5.5%
Multiracial 3.0%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 20.1/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Rowan County's schools, below the Kentucky average of 34.5.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Morehead Youth Development Center 61.3
  2. 2 Rowan County Preschool Center 18.5
  3. 3 Bluegrass Discovery Academy High 17.9
  4. 4 Rowan County Middle School 15.7
  5. 5 Rowan County Senior High School 15.3

Programs & Resources

1 / 10
Schools with AP
7 AP courses total
401.1:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
42.4%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Rowan County

School Enrollment
Rowan County Senior High School
904
Rowan County Middle School
695
Mcbrayer Elementary School
566
Rodburn Elementary School
419
Clearfield Elementary School
299
Tilden Hogge Elementary School
207
Rowan County Preschool Center
172
Bluegrass Discovery Academy High
31
Morehead Youth Development Center
15
Bluegrass Discovery Academy Middle
14

How Rowan County Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Kentucky districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Logan County Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Lincoln County Similar size Higher spending Similar funding mix
Grant County Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Harlan County Similar size Higher spending Less locally funded
Spencer County Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to Rowan County's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Kentucky

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Jefferson County
95,230 students · 168 schools · $17,376/pupil
Compare vs Rowan County →
Fayette County
41,422 students · 80 schools · $15,849/pupil
Compare vs Rowan County →
Boone County
20,200 students · 28 schools · $12,899/pupil
Compare vs Rowan County →
Warren County
17,799 students · 34 schools · $11,423/pupil
Compare vs Rowan County →
Hardin County
14,675 students · 26 schools · $11,904/pupil
Compare vs Rowan County →

Compare Rowan County

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Jefferson County →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Rowan County?

Rowan County has 10 schools, including 2 high, 2 middle, 4 elementary, 2 combined. Total enrollment is 3,429 students.

How much does Rowan County spend per student?

Rowan County spends $11,750 per student. The district has an equity score of 33/100, ranking #130 in Kentucky.

What is the demographic composition of Rowan County?

Rowan County students are 87.0% White, 5.5% African American, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 10 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Rowan County?

Rowan County has an equity score of 33/100, ranking #130 out of 171 districts in Kentucky.