Enrollment
615
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 210465001146
Clark Elementary School — Paducah, KY
Federal NCES profile for Clark Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 80
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)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.9%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Clark Elementary School 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
Clark Elementary School reports 615 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 40.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 3% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 49.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% below the Kentucky average and 4% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 615 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.1% 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 47/100 (D), 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 Clark Elementary School 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 | 15.4:1 | ▼ 1% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.9% | ▼ 16% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 615 | top 77% | — | — |
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
49.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% below the Kentucky average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.4:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 54% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
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 615 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
84
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 615 Top 77% in Kentucky — larger than 23% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 40.0
Students per teacher 15.4:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 49.9% -16% vs state
NCES ID 210465001146
Student demographics
White 56.7%
African American 20.3%
Two or More 13.7%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 56.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 615:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.1%
In-school suspensions 84
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paducah Independent, which includes Clark Elementary School.
$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
- 369
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 334
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Enrollment
- 251
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
Similar elementary schools in Paducah
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Lone Oak Intermediate School
Standard public school
437 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Morgan Elementary School
Standard public school
369 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Mcnabb Elementary School
Standard public school
334 students 11.9:1 students per teacher
Reidland Intermediate School
Standard public school
228 students 15.9:1 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 Clark Elementary School
How many students attend Clark Elementary School?
Clark Elementary School has 615 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Paducah, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Clark Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Clark Elementary School is 15.4:1, which is 1% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 3% 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 Clark Elementary School?
49.9% of students at Clark Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Clark Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Clark Elementary School is White at 56.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Paducah, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Clark Elementary School?
Clark Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) 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.