Enrollment
856
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 210573001164
Lost River Elementary — Bowling Green, KY
Federal NCES profile for Lost River Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 53
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: Warren 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)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.2%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lost River 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
Lost River Elementary reports 856 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 47.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% above the Kentucky state mean of 15.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 76.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 29% above the Kentucky average and 47% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 428 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Warren County spends $13,452 per pupil district-wide, below the Kentucky average of $15,105 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.6% from local sources (property taxes), 44.6% from the state, and 22.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Lost River 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 | 16.9:1 | ▲ 8% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.2% | ▲ 29% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 856 | top 91% | — | — |
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
76.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 29% 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
16.9:1
students per teacher
— 8% above state mean
Top 77% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$13,452
per pupil, district-wide
— below Kentucky avg of $15,105
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 428 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
27
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 856 Top 91% in Kentucky — larger than 9% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 47.0
Students per teacher 16.9:1 +8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 76.2% +29% vs state
NCES ID 210573001164
Student demographics
White 37.1%
Hispanic or Latino 25.4%
African American 13.7%
Asian 11.9%
Two or More 7.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 37.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 428:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.7%
In-school suspensions 27
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Warren County, which includes Lost River Elementary.
$13,452
Per student
-11%
vs Kentucky
Avg $15,105
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.6%
State 44.6%
Federal 22.8%
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
- 1,548
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,451
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,070
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 990
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 967
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
Similar other schools in Bowling Green
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Rich Pond Elementary
Standard public school
990 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Jennings Creek Elementary
Standard public school
852 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Jody Richards Elementary
Standard public school
754 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Plano Elementary
Standard public school
750 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Warren Elementary
Standard public school
714 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
William H. Natcher Elementary
Standard public school
713 students 15.1:1 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 Lost River Elementary
How many students attend Lost River Elementary?
Lost River Elementary has 856 students enrolled. It is a other school in Bowling Green, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lost River Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Lost River Elementary is 16.9:1, which is 8% higher than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lost River Elementary?
76.2% of students at Lost River Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lost River Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Lost River Elementary is White at 37.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bowling Green, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lost River Elementary?
Lost River Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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.