Enrollment
115
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Horse Cave, KY
Caverna Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Caverna Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 210111001914
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 77
📋 Attendance 2
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Caverna Middle School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of Kentucky schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Horse Cave · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.5:1
- small classes for Kentucky
- 79.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Caverna Middle School has class sizes smaller than 89% of Kentucky schools. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Caverna Middle School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Horse Cave, KY.
School address
District: Caverna Independent · Kentucky
NCES ID 210111001914 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.5:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
-31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
79.1%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Caverna Middle School compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Caverna Middle School
Caverna Middle School is a high-poverty, small middle school in Horse Cave, Kentucky, enrolling 115 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.5:1, Caverna Middle School is leaner than roughly 89% of Kentucky schools and 31% under the state's 15.2:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 79.1% of students qualify for free meals, 34% above the Kentucky average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 115 puts it in the smaller third of Kentucky schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.
Against 52 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #19.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and Two or More (10%) (diversity index 42/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 115 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data 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.
Discipline events run high: 74 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 115 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Caverna Independent also operates Caverna Elementary School (330 students) and Caverna High School (209 students) alongside Caverna Middle 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 Middle School compares
Caverna Middle 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 | 10.5:1 | ▼ 31% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 79.1% | ▲ 34% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 115 | top 86% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.5:1
Leaner classes than 86% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
115
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
79.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 34% 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
10.5:1
students per teacher
- 31% below state mean
Top 11% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
39.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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 115 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
53
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 46.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 64.3 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 74.8%
Two or More 9.6%
African American 8.7%
Hispanic or Latino 7.0%
Largest group: White at 74.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.9, Caverna Middle 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 Middle 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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caverna Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Caverna High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Caverna Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 330
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 209
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar middle 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 (~115 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Caverna Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Caverna Middle 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 Middle School
How many students attend Caverna Middle School?
Caverna Middle School has 115 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Horse Cave, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Caverna Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Caverna Middle School is 10.5:1, which is 31% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 33% 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 Middle School?
79.1% of students at Caverna Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Caverna Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Caverna Middle School is White at 74.8% of enrollment, in Horse Cave, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Caverna Middle School?
Caverna Middle 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).
How does Caverna Middle School rank among public schools in Horse Cave?
By Resource Investment Index, Caverna Middle School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Horse Cave, 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 Horse Cave on the city page.
Is Caverna Middle School a good school?
Caverna Middle School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% 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 Middle School, Caverna Independent also operates Caverna Elementary School (330 students) and Caverna High School (209 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.