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Monticello, Kentucky - 8 schools
An equity score of 69/100 ranks Wayne County #35 of 171 districts in Kentucky (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,565 per pupil, Wayne County ranks #104 of 171 Kentucky districts by per-pupil spending (Kentucky districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,207
Total Enrollment
8
Schools
$12,565
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Wayne County operates 8 public schools serving 3,207 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Kentucky. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 combined, 2 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle 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 Wayne County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,565 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 15.4% local, 64.4% state, and 20.2% 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 69/100, ranked #35 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 8 schools offering Advanced Placement (6 AP courses district-wide), a 415.1:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 32.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 77.1% White, 10.6% African American, 9.4% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Lake Cumberland Youth Development Center, with a diversity index of 54.0/100.
Its largest campus is Wayne County High School, enrolling 895 students (29% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Otter Creek Academy, at 7 students, a 128x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Wayne County High School accounts for 27.9% of all Wayne County student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Wayne 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.
Wayne County school enrollment varies 128× across entities
Wayne County school enrollment ranges from 7 students (lowest) to 895 students (highest), a spread of 888 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.
Wayne County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 84.6% 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). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. 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.
Wayne County student-counselor ratio is 415:1 — 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.
Wayne County chronic absenteeism rate is 32.5% — 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.
Wayne County has 8 schools, including 1 high, 2 elementary, 1 middle, 4 combined. Total enrollment is 3,207 students.
How much does Wayne County spend per student?
Wayne County spends $12,565 per student. The district has an equity score of 69/100, ranking #35 in Kentucky.
What is the demographic composition of Wayne County?
Wayne County students are 77.1% White, 10.6% African American, 9.4% Hispanic or Latino, 0.1% Asian, averaged across 8 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Wayne County?
Wayne County has an equity score of 69/100, ranking #35 out of 171 districts in Kentucky.