Enrollment
342
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Dawson Springs, KY
Dawson Springs Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Dawson Springs Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 210150002200
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 58
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dawson Springs Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kentucky median.
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.3:1
- students per teacher
- 68.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 342
- students enrolled
Dawson Springs Elementary has class sizes near the Kentucky median. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Dawson Springs Independent · Kentucky
NCES ID 210150002200 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.5%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dawson Springs Elementary compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dawson Springs Elementary
Dawson Springs Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Dawson Springs, Kentucky, enrolling 342 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Kentucky schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 68.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 342 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kentucky median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.
Against 363 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #207.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 15/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 684 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district, Dawson Springs Independent, also runs Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School (289 students).
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 Dawson Springs Elementary compares
Dawson Springs Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Kentucky and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kentucky | Kentucky avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.3:1 | ▲ 7% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.5% | ▲ 16% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 342 | top 64% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
342
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
68.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% 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
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 68% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,713
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
21
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.7 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 91.8%
Two or More 5.6%
Hispanic or Latino 2.0%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 91.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.4, Dawson Springs Elementary is less mixed than the Kentucky school average of 34.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dawson Springs Independent, which includes Dawson Springs Elementary.
$12,713
Per student
-4%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.3%
State 68.5%
Federal 14.2%
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 Dawson Springs Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dawson Springs Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 289
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~342 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dawson Springs Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Dawson Springs Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Dawson Springs 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 Dawson Springs Elementary
How many students attend Dawson Springs Elementary?
Dawson Springs Elementary has 342 students enrolled. It is a public school in Dawson Springs, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dawson Springs Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Dawson Springs Elementary is 16.3:1, which is 7% higher than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dawson Springs Elementary?
68.5% of students at Dawson Springs Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dawson Springs Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Dawson Springs Elementary is White at 91.8% of enrollment, in Dawson Springs, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dawson Springs Elementary?
Dawson Springs Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical 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 Dawson Springs Elementary a good school?
Dawson Springs Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kentucky median. 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 Dawson Springs Independent?
Besides Dawson Springs Elementary, Dawson Springs Independent also operates Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School (289 students). See the Dawson Springs 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.