Enrollment
289
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Dawson Spgs, KY
Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School
Federal NCES profile for Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 210150002203
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kentucky median.
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.4:1
- students per teacher
- 62.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 289
- students enrolled
Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School 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 210150002203 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.9%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School
Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Dawson Spgs, Kentucky, enrolling 289 students.
At 14.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Kentucky median, within a few percentage points of the 15.2:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 62.9% lands close to the Kentucky typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 289 puts it in the smaller third of Kentucky schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.
Among 270 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kentucky schools statewide, it ranks #195, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment) (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 578 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district, Dawson Springs Independent, also runs Dawson Springs Elementary (342 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 Jr/Sr High School compares
Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High 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 | 14.4:1 | ▼ 5% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.9% | ▲ 6% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 289 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
289
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
62.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% 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
14.4:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 41% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.8%
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
$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
4
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 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 93.8%
Two or More 3.5%
Hispanic or Latino 1.7%
African American 0.7%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 93.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.9, Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School is less mixed than the Kentucky school average of 34.5.
Programs
AP courses offered 4
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dawson Springs Independent, which includes Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School.
$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 Jr/Sr High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson Springs Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 342
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~289 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School's federal record.
- Compare Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School 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 Jr/Sr High School
How many students attend Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School?
Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School has 289 students enrolled. It is a public school in Dawson Spgs, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School is 14.4:1, which is 5% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 8% 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 Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School?
62.9% of students at Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School?
The largest demographic group at Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School is White at 93.8% of enrollment, in Dawson Spgs, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School?
Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School a good school?
Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High School earns 39/100 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 Jr/Sr High School, Dawson Springs Independent also operates Dawson Springs Elementary (342 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.