Enrollment
455
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Harlan, KY
Harlan High School
Federal NCES profile for Harlan High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 210252000552
👥 S:T ratio 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harlan High School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Kentucky schools.
- #1 of 3
- schools in Harlan · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.2:1
- large classes for Kentucky
- 62.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Harlan High School has class sizes larger than 86% of Kentucky schools. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Harlan High School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Harlan, KY.
School address
District: Harlan Independent · Kentucky
NCES ID 210252000552 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.2:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.7%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harlan High School compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Harlan High School
Harlan High School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Harlan, Kentucky, enrolling 455 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.2:1 is larger than about 86% of Kentucky schools and 20% above the 15.2:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 62.7% lands close to the Kentucky typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 455 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kentucky median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.
Against 506 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #133.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 21/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 228 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.2% 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.
Among Harlan's public schools, it stands alongside James a. Cawood Elementary (277 students): Harlan High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.2:1 vs 10.7:1).
Harlan Independent also operates Harlan Elementary School (335 students) and Sunshine School (110 students) alongside Harlan High 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 High School compares
Harlan 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 | 18.2:1 | ▲ 20% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.7% | ▲ 6% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 455 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.2:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
455
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
62.7%
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
18.2:1
students per teacher
- 20% above state mean
Top 86% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.2%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 228 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
62
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.6 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 88.4%
Two or More 5.5%
African American 3.7%
Hispanic or Latino 1.8%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 88.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.4, Harlan High School is less mixed than the Kentucky school average of 34.5.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harlan Independent, which includes Harlan High 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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlan Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sunshine School | Smaller | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Harlan High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 335
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 110
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar other schools in Harlan
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~455 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harlan High School's federal record.
- Compare Harlan High 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 High School
How many students attend Harlan High School?
Harlan High School has 455 students enrolled. It is a public school in Harlan, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harlan High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Harlan High School is 18.2:1, which is 20% higher than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Harlan High School?
62.7% of students at Harlan High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harlan High School?
The largest demographic group at Harlan High School is White at 88.4% of enrollment, in Harlan, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harlan High School?
Harlan High School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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).
How does Harlan High School rank among schools in Harlan?
By Resource Investment Index, Harlan High School ranks #1 of 3 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 schools in Harlan on the city page.
Is Harlan High School a good school?
Harlan High School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Kentucky schools. 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 High School, Harlan Independent also operates Harlan Elementary School (335 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.