Enrollment
93
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Barlow, KY
Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center
Federal NCES profile for Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 210021000040
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Kentucky schools.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Barlow · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.6:1
- large classes for Kentucky
- 77.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center has class sizes larger than 88% of Kentucky schools. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Barlow, KY.
School address
District: Ballard County · Kentucky
NCES ID 210021000040 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.6:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.3%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center
Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Barlow, Kentucky, enrolling 93 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.6:1 is larger than about 88% of Kentucky schools and 22% above the 15.2:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 77.3% of students qualify for free meals, 31% above the Kentucky average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 93 puts it in the smaller third of Kentucky schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 1,389 Kentucky schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 46 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kentucky schools statewide, it ranks #41, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Two or More (13%) (diversity index 36/100).
Its district draws 15.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Ballard County also operates Ballard County Elementary School (444 students) and Ballard Memorial High School (276 students) alongside Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center compares
Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center on the metrics families compare, against Kentucky and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kentucky | Kentucky avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.6:1 | ▲ 22% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.3% | ▲ 31% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 93 | top 87% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.6:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
93
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
77.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 31% above the Kentucky average of 59.2%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.6:1
students per teacher
- 22% above state mean
Top 88% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$13,058
per pupil, district-wide
- below Kentucky avg of $13,211
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 78.5%
Two or More 12.9%
African American 5.4%
Hispanic or Latino 3.2%
Largest group: White at 78.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.3, Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center is about as mixed as the Kentucky school average of 34.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ballard County, which includes Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center.
$13,058
Per student
-1%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.3%
State 54.4%
Federal 15.3%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballard County Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ballard Memorial High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ballard County Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 444
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 276
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Kentucky, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~93 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center's federal record.
- Compare Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center against another school. Compare schools
- Ballard County's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center
How many students attend Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center?
Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center has 93 students enrolled. It is a public school in Barlow, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center is 18.6:1, which is 22% higher than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center?
77.3% of students at Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center?
The largest demographic group at Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center is White at 78.5% of enrollment, in Barlow, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center?
Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center rank among public schools in Barlow?
By Resource Investment Index, Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Barlow, KY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Barlow on the city page.
Is Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center a good school?
Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Kentucky schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Ballard County?
Besides Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center, Ballard County also operates Ballard County Elementary School (444 students), Ballard Memorial High School (276 students), and Ballard County Middle School (202 students). See the Ballard County district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.