Enrollment
1,882
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 210396002332
Mccracken County High School — Paducah, KY
Federal NCES profile for Mccracken County High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 57/100.
👥 Class size 24
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 43
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: Mccracken 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)
106.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.9:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.1%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mccracken County High 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
Mccracken County High School reports 1,882 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 106.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% 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 19% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 41.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 31% below the Kentucky average and 21% below the national baseline. The school offers 20 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 269 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mccracken County spends $14,612 per pupil district-wide, below the Kentucky average of $15,105 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.3% from local sources (property taxes), 45.7% from the state, and 19.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (C), calculated from 5 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 Mccracken County High 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 | 18.9:1 | ▲ 21% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.1% | ▼ 31% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,882 | top 99% | — | — |
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
41.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 31% 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
18.9:1
students per teacher
— 21% above state mean
Top 91% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.8%
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
$14,612
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
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 269 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
359
in-school suspensions + 37 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 132 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,882 Top 99% in Kentucky — larger than 1% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 106.0
Students per teacher 18.9:1 +21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 41.1% -31% vs state
NCES ID 210396002332
Student demographics
White 82.4%
Hispanic or Latino 6.0%
African American 5.2%
Two or More 4.1%
Asian 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 82.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 20
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 7.0
Students per counselor 269:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.8%
In-school suspensions 359
Out-of-school suspensions 37
Expulsions 132
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mccracken County, which includes Mccracken County High School.
$14,612
Per student
-3%
vs Kentucky
Avg $15,105
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.3%
State 45.7%
Federal 19.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 702
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 548
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 498
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 498
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
Similar high schools in Paducah
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 Mccracken County High School
How many students attend Mccracken County High School?
Mccracken County High School has 1,882 students enrolled. It is a high school in Paducah, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mccracken County High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mccracken County High School is 18.9:1, which is 21% higher than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mccracken County High School?
41.1% of students at Mccracken County High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mccracken County High School?
The largest demographic group at Mccracken County High School is White at 82.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Paducah, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mccracken County High School?
Mccracken County High School has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (C) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.