Enrollment
277
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 210254000541
James a. Cawood Elementary — Harlan, KY
Federal NCES profile for James a. Cawood Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 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: Harlan 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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.4%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How James a. Cawood Elementary 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
James a. Cawood Elementary reports 277 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 24% 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 26% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 84.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 43% above the Kentucky average and 63% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 277 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 45.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Harlan County spends $15,949 per pupil district-wide, above the Kentucky average of $15,105 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 12.7% from local sources (property taxes), 60.1% from the state, and 27.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 James a. Cawood Elementary 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 24% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.4% | ▲ 43% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 277 | top 27% | — | — |
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
84.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 43% 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
11.8:1
students per teacher
— 24% below state mean
Top 15% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
45.8%
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
$15,949
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 277 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 277 Top 27% in Kentucky — larger than 73% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 11.8:1 -24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 84.4% +43% vs state
NCES ID 210254000541
Student demographics
White 98.6%
African American 0.7%
Hispanic or Latino 0.4%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: White at 98.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 277:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 45.8%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harlan County, which includes James a. Cawood Elementary.
$15,949
Per student
+6%
vs Kentucky
Avg $15,105
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 12.7%
State 60.1%
Federal 27.2%
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
- 945
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 428
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 369
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 335
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
Similar other schools in Harlan
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 James a. Cawood Elementary
How many students attend James a. Cawood Elementary?
James a. Cawood Elementary has 277 students enrolled. It is a other school in Harlan, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at James a. Cawood Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at James a. Cawood Elementary is 11.8:1, which is 24% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 26% 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 James a. Cawood Elementary?
84.4% of students at James a. Cawood Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of James a. Cawood Elementary?
The largest demographic group at James a. Cawood Elementary is White at 98.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Harlan, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for James a. Cawood Elementary?
James a. Cawood Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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.