Enrollment
317
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 210299000745
Foster Traditional Academy — Louisville, KY
Federal NCES profile for Foster Traditional Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 20
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 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: Jefferson County · 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.9:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
+28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.5%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Foster Traditional 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
Foster Traditional Academy reports 317 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% above the Kentucky state mean of 15.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 81.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 38% above the Kentucky average and 57% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 317 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 68.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Jefferson County spends $19,590 per pupil district-wide, above the Kentucky average of $15,105 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 46.8% from local sources (property taxes), 30.9% from the state, and 22.3% 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 Foster Traditional 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 | 19.9:1 | ▲ 28% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.5% | ▲ 38% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 317 | top 33% | — | — |
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
81.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 38% 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
19.9:1
students per teacher
— 28% above state mean
Top 94% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
68.1%
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
$19,590
per pupil, district-wide
— above Kentucky avg of $15,105
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 317 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
38
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 317 Top 33% in Kentucky — larger than 67% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 19.9:1 +28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 81.5% +38% vs state
NCES ID 210299000745
Student demographics
African American 93.4%
Hispanic or Latino 3.8%
White 1.6%
Two or More 0.9%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 93.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 317:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 68.1%
In-school suspensions 38
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson County, which includes Foster Traditional Academy.
$19,590
Per student
+30%
vs Kentucky
Avg $15,105
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 46.8%
State 30.9%
Federal 22.3%
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
- 2,148
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,899
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,892
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,790
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,777
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
Similar elementary schools in Louisville
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Fern Creek Elementary
Standard public school
744 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Bowen Elementary
Standard public school
729 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Norton Elementary
Standard public school
716 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Goldsmith Elementary
Standard public school
651 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
Indian Trail Elementary
Standard public school
649 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Wheeler Elementary
Standard public school
626 students 17.5:1 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 Foster Traditional Academy
How many students attend Foster Traditional Academy?
Foster Traditional Academy has 317 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Louisville, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Foster Traditional Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Foster Traditional Academy is 19.9:1, which is 28% higher than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Foster Traditional Academy?
81.5% of students at Foster Traditional Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Foster Traditional Academy?
The largest demographic group at Foster Traditional Academy is African American at 93.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Louisville, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Foster Traditional Academy?
Foster Traditional Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) 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.