Enrollment
335
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Harlan, KY
Harlan Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Harlan Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 210252000551
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 15
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harlan Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kentucky median.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Harlan · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.6:1
- students per teacher
- 63.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Harlan Elementary School has class sizes near the Kentucky median. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Harlan Elementary School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Harlan, KY.
School address
District: Harlan Independent · Kentucky
NCES ID 210252000551 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 15.2:1 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
What stands out at Harlan Elementary School
Harlan Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Harlan, Kentucky, enrolling 335 students.
At 14.6:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 63.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 335 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kentucky median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.
Against 372 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #249.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 335 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 26.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Harlan Independent also operates Harlan High School (455 students) and Sunshine School (110 students) alongside Harlan Elementary School.
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 Harlan Elementary School compares
Harlan Elementary 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 | 14.6:1 | ▼ 4% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.8% | ▲ 8% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 335 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.6:1
Leaner classes than 51% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
335
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
14.6:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 44% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
34.0%
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
$12,290
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
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 26.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.0, Harlan Elementary School is less mixed than the Kentucky school average of 34.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harlan Independent, which includes Harlan Elementary School.
$12,290
Per student
-7%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Harlan Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlan High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sunshine School | Smaller | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Harlan Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 455
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 110
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar elementary 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 (~335 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harlan Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Harlan Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Harlan 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 Harlan Elementary School
How many students attend Harlan Elementary School?
Harlan Elementary School has 335 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Harlan, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harlan Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Harlan Elementary School is 14.6:1, which is 4% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 7% 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 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% of enrollment, in Harlan, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harlan Elementary School?
Harlan Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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).
How does Harlan Elementary School rank among public schools in Harlan?
By Resource Investment Index, Harlan Elementary School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Harlan, KY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Harlan on the city page.
Is Harlan Elementary School a good school?
Harlan Elementary School earns 40/100 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 Harlan Independent?
Besides Harlan Elementary School, Harlan Independent also operates Harlan High School (455 students) and Sunshine School (110 students). See the Harlan 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.