Enrollment
104
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 210459002011
Emerson Academy — Owensboro, KY
Federal NCES profile for Emerson Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 48
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 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: Owensboro 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)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.0%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Emerson Academy 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
Emerson Academy reports 104 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 7.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 19% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 80.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% above the Kentucky average and 54% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 65.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Owensboro Independent spends $17,055 per pupil district-wide, above the Kentucky average of $15,105 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.0% from local sources (property taxes), 51.9% from the state, and 23.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), 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 Emerson Academy 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 | 12.9:1 | ▼ 17% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.0% | ▲ 35% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 104 | top 13% | — | — |
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
80.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 35% 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
12.9:1
students per teacher
— 17% below state mean
Top 22% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
65.4%
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
$17,055
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
22
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 21.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 38.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 104 Top 13% in Kentucky — larger than 87% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 7.0
Students per teacher 12.9:1 -17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 80.0% +35% vs state
NCES ID 210459002011
Student demographics
White 52.9%
Hispanic or Latino 18.3%
Two or More 17.3%
African American 11.5%
Largest group: White at 52.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 65.4%
In-school suspensions 22
Out-of-school suspensions 18
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Owensboro Independent, which includes Emerson Academy.
$17,055
Per student
+13%
vs Kentucky
Avg $15,105
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.0%
State 51.9%
Federal 23.1%
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
- 1,342
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 790
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 545
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 535
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 492
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
Similar high schools in Owensboro
5 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Daviess County High School
Standard public school
1,750 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Owensboro High School
Standard public school
1,342 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Apollo High School
Standard public school
1,265 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Heritage Park High School
Alternative education program
140 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Valley High School
Alternative education program
16 students 3:1 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 Emerson Academy
How many students attend Emerson Academy?
Emerson Academy has 104 students enrolled. It is a high school in Owensboro, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Emerson Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Emerson Academy is 12.9:1, which is 17% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 19% 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 Emerson Academy?
80.0% of students at Emerson Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Emerson Academy?
The largest demographic group at Emerson Academy is White at 52.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Owensboro, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Emerson Academy?
Emerson Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.