Enrollment
186
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Waynesburg, KY
Highland Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Highland Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 210348000915
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 63
📋 Attendance 54
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland Elementary School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of Kentucky schools.
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.9:1
- small classes for Kentucky
- 58.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 186
- students enrolled
Highland Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 87% of Kentucky schools. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Lincoln County · Kentucky
NCES ID 210348000915 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.9:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.3%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland Elementary School compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland Elementary School
Highland Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Waynesburg, Kentucky, enrolling 186 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.9:1, Highland Elementary School is leaner than roughly 87% of Kentucky schools and 28% under the state's 15.2:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 58.3% lands close to the Kentucky typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 186 puts it in the smaller third of Kentucky schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 93% of the 1,389 Kentucky schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 90 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kentucky schools statewide, it ranks #10, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 186 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 31.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Waynesburg's public schools, it stands alongside Waynesburg Elementary School (194 students): Highland Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (10.9:1 vs 9.2:1).
Lincoln County also operates Lincoln County High School (886 students) and Lincoln County Middle School (697 students) alongside Highland 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 Highland Elementary School compares
Highland 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 | 10.9:1 | ▼ 28% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.3% | ▼ 2% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 186 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.9:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
186
Bigger than 18% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
58.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% below the Kentucky average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.9:1
students per teacher
- 28% below state mean
Top 13% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
18.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,535
per pupil, district-wide
- above Kentucky avg of $13,211
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 186 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 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 87.1%
Hispanic or Latino 7.5%
Two or More 4.3%
Asian 1.1%
Largest group: White at 87.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.4, Highland 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 Lincoln County, which includes Highland Elementary School.
$13,535
Per student
+2%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.5%
State 49.8%
Federal 31.6%
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 Highland Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lincoln County Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Stanford Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hustonville Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Crab Orchard Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 886
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 697
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 572
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 439
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 266
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
Similar other schools in Waynesburg
1 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 (~186 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Highland Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Lincoln County'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 Highland Elementary School
How many students attend Highland Elementary School?
Highland Elementary School has 186 students enrolled. It is a public school in Waynesburg, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland Elementary School is 10.9:1, which is 28% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 31% 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 Highland Elementary School?
58.3% of students at Highland Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Highland Elementary School is White at 87.1% of enrollment, in Waynesburg, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Elementary School?
Highland Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (higher 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).
Is Highland Elementary School a good school?
Highland Elementary School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% 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 Lincoln County?
Besides Highland Elementary School, Lincoln County also operates Lincoln County High School (886 students), Lincoln County Middle School (697 students), and Stanford Elementary School (572 students). See the Lincoln County 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.