Enrollment
335
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 210252000551
Harlan Elementary School — Harlan, KY
Federal NCES profile for Harlan Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 15
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: Harlan 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)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.8%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harlan 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
Harlan Elementary School reports 335 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 63.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 8% above the Kentucky average and 23% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 335 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 34.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Harlan Independent spends $17,858 per pupil district-wide, above the Kentucky average of $15,105 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 12.3% from local sources (property taxes), 61.7% from the state, and 26.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Harlan 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 | 15:1 | ▼ 4% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.8% | ▲ 8% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 335 | top 35% | — | — |
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
63.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 8% 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
15:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 47% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
34.0%
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
$17,858
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 335 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 335 Top 35% in Kentucky — larger than 65% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 15:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 63.8% +8% vs state
NCES ID 210252000551
Student demographics
White 85.4%
Two or More 9.6%
African American 2.4%
Hispanic or Latino 1.8%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: White at 85.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 335:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 34.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harlan Independent, which includes Harlan Elementary School.
$17,858
Per student
+18%
vs Kentucky
Avg $15,105
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 12.3%
State 61.7%
Federal 26.0%
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
- 455
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 110
- Students per teacher
- 93:1
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 Harlan Elementary School
How many students attend Harlan Elementary School?
Harlan Elementary School has 335 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Harlan, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harlan Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Harlan Elementary School is 15:1, which is 4% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 6% 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 Harlan Elementary School?
63.8% of students at Harlan Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harlan Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Harlan Elementary School is White at 85.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Harlan, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harlan Elementary School?
Harlan Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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.