Enrollment
325
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 210315000848
Jesse D Lay Elementary School — Barbourville, KY
Federal NCES profile for Jesse D Lay Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 13
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: Knox 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.2%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jesse D Lay 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
Jesse D Lay Elementary School reports 325 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% 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 14% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 60.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 2% above the Kentucky average and 16% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 542 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 34.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Knox County spends $15,928 per pupil district-wide, above the Kentucky average of $15,105 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 11.7% from local sources (property taxes), 62.4% from the state, and 25.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), 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 Jesse D Lay 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 | 13.6:1 | ▼ 13% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.2% | ▲ 2% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 325 | top 34% | — | — |
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
60.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 2% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
— 13% below state mean
Top 29% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
34.8%
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
$15,928
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
Counselors0.6 FTE
Per 542 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 325 Top 34% in Kentucky — larger than 66% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 13.6:1 -13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 60.2% +2% vs state
NCES ID 210315000848
Student demographics
White 94.5%
Hispanic or Latino 2.8%
African American 1.5%
Two or More 0.9%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 94.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.6
Students per counselor 542:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 34.8%
In-school suspensions 9
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Knox County, which includes Jesse D Lay Elementary School.
$15,928
Per student
+5%
vs Kentucky
Avg $15,105
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 11.7%
State 62.4%
Federal 25.9%
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
- 720
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 522
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 447
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Enrollment
- 313
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
Similar other schools in Barbourville
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Barbourville City School
Standard public school
755 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Central Elementary School
Standard public school
313 students 11.7:1 students per teacher
G R Hampton Elementary School
Standard public school
244 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Knox County Learning Academy
Alternative education program
52 students 9.7:1 students per teacher
Knox Appalachian School
Alternative education program
32 students 8:1 students per teacher
Knox County Day Treatment
Alternative education program
16 students 8:1 students per teacher
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 Jesse D Lay Elementary School
How many students attend Jesse D Lay Elementary School?
Jesse D Lay Elementary School has 325 students enrolled. It is a other school in Barbourville, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jesse D Lay Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Jesse D Lay Elementary School is 13.6:1, which is 13% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 14% 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 Jesse D Lay Elementary School?
60.2% of students at Jesse D Lay Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jesse D Lay Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Jesse D Lay Elementary School is White at 94.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Barbourville, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jesse D Lay Elementary School?
Jesse D Lay Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) 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.