Enrollment
42
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 210465002364
Choices Educational Center — Paducah, KY
Federal NCES profile for Choices Educational Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 92
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Paducah Independent · Kentucky
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
91.9%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Choices Educational Center compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Choices Educational Center reports 42 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 3.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% below the Kentucky state mean of 15.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 23% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 91.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 55% above the Kentucky average and 77% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 42 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 92.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Paducah Independent spends $18,277 per pupil district-wide, above the Kentucky average of $15,105 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.0% from local sources (property taxes), 44.9% from the state, and 26.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Choices Educational Center compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Kentucky state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Kentucky | Kentucky avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.3:1 | ▼ 21% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 91.9% | ▲ 55% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 42 | top 10% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
91.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 55% 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
12.3:1
students per teacher
— 21% below state mean
Top 17% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
92.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,277
per pupil, district-wide
— above Kentucky avg of $15,105
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 42 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 28.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 42 Top 10% in Kentucky — larger than 90% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 3.0
Students per teacher 12.3:1 -21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 91.9% +55% vs state
NCES ID 210465002364
Student demographics
African American 71.4%
White 14.3%
Two or More 11.9%
Hispanic or Latino 2.4%
Largest group: African American at 71.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 42:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 92.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paducah Independent, which includes Choices Educational Center.
$18,277
Per student
+21%
vs Kentucky
Avg $15,105
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.0%
State 44.9%
Federal 26.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 860
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 632
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 615
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 369
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 334
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
Similar other schools in Paducah
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Concord Elementary School
Standard public school
606 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Reidland Elementary School
Standard public school
548 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Hendron Lone Oak Elementary School
Standard public school
498 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Lone Oak Elementary School
Standard public school
495 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Paducah Head Start Preschool
Standard public school
251 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Mccracken Regional School
Alternative education program
31 students 35:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Choices Educational Center
How many students attend Choices Educational Center?
Choices Educational Center has 42 students enrolled. It is a other school in Paducah, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Choices Educational Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Choices Educational Center is 12.3:1, which is 21% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 23% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Choices Educational Center?
91.9% of students at Choices Educational Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Choices Educational Center?
The largest demographic group at Choices Educational Center is African American at 71.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Paducah, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Choices Educational Center?
Choices Educational Center has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.