Enrollment
330
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cave City, KY
Caverna Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Caverna Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 210111000213
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Caverna Elementary School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Kentucky schools.
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.2:1
- small classes for Kentucky
- 75.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 330
- students enrolled
Caverna Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 80% of Kentucky schools. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Caverna Independent · Kentucky
NCES ID 210111000213 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.2%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Caverna Elementary School compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Caverna Elementary School
Caverna Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Cave City, Kentucky, enrolling 330 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kentucky schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 75.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 330 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kentucky median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.
Among 280 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kentucky schools statewide, it ranks #25, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and Two or More (11%) (diversity index 40/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 330 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Caverna Independent spends $18,276 per pupil, 38% above the Kentucky average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 27.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Caverna Independent also operates Caverna High School (209 students) and Caverna Middle School (115 students) alongside Caverna Elementary School.
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 Caverna Elementary School compares
Caverna Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Kentucky and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kentucky | Kentucky avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.2:1 | ▼ 20% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.2% | ▲ 27% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 330 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
330
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
75.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% above the Kentucky average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.2:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 20% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
19.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$18,276
per pupil, district-wide
- above Kentucky avg of $13,211
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 330 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.3 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 76.1%
Two or More 10.9%
African American 7.9%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
Largest group: White at 76.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.0, Caverna Elementary School is more mixed than the Kentucky school average of 34.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Caverna Independent, which includes Caverna Elementary School.
$18,276
Per student
+38%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
+10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.6%
State 40.5%
Federal 27.9%
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 Caverna Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caverna High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Caverna Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Caverna Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 209
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 115
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
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 (~330 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Caverna Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Caverna Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Caverna Independent'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 Caverna Elementary School
How many students attend Caverna Elementary School?
Caverna Elementary School has 330 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cave City, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Caverna Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Caverna Elementary School is 12.2:1, which is 20% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Caverna Elementary School?
75.2% of students at Caverna Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Caverna Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Caverna Elementary School is White at 76.1% of enrollment, in Cave City, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Caverna Elementary School?
Caverna Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Caverna Elementary School a good school?
Caverna Elementary School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% 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 Caverna Independent?
Besides Caverna Elementary School, Caverna Independent also operates Caverna High School (209 students) and Caverna Middle School (115 students). See the Caverna Independent 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.