Enrollment
711
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Stearns, KY
Mccreary Central High School
Federal NCES profile for Mccreary Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 210399001014
👥 S:T ratio 41
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mccreary Central High School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kentucky median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Kentucky schools.
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.8:1
- students per teacher
- 74.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 711
- students enrolled
Mccreary Central High School has class sizes near the Kentucky median. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Mccreary County · Kentucky
NCES ID 210399001014 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.1%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mccreary Central High School compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mccreary Central High School
Mccreary Central High School is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Stearns, Kentucky, enrolling 711 students.
At 14.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Kentucky median, within a few percentage points of the 15.2:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 74.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 711 puts it in the larger third of Kentucky schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.
Against 266 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #98.
Its student body is predominantly White (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 9/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 237 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 60.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 226 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 711 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Mccreary County also operates Mccreary County Middle School (633 students) and Whitley City Elementary School (547 students) alongside Mccreary Central High 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 Mccreary Central High School compares
Mccreary Central High 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 | 14.8:1 | ▼ 3% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.1% | ▲ 25% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 711 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
711
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% 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
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 47% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
60.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,759
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 237 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
155
in-school suspensions + 71 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 21.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 31.8 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 95.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.5%
Two or More 1.4%
African American 0.4%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 95.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.9, Mccreary Central High School is less mixed than the Kentucky school average of 34.5.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mccreary County, which includes Mccreary Central High School.
$13,759
Per student
+4%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.2%
State 65.0%
Federal 23.8%
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.
How Mccreary Central High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mccreary County Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Whitley City Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pine Knot Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mccreary Central High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 633
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 547
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 5.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
Similar high 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 (~711 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mccreary Central High School's federal record.
- Compare Mccreary Central High School against another school. Compare schools
- Mccreary 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 Mccreary Central High School
How many students attend Mccreary Central High School?
Mccreary Central High School has 711 students enrolled. It is a high school in Stearns, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mccreary Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mccreary Central High School is 14.8:1, which is 3% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 6% 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 Mccreary Central High School?
74.1% of students at Mccreary Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mccreary Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Mccreary Central High School is White at 95.4% of enrollment, in Stearns, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mccreary Central High School?
Mccreary Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Mccreary Central High School a good school?
Mccreary Central High School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kentucky median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Mccreary County?
Besides Mccreary Central High School, Mccreary County also operates Mccreary County Middle School (633 students), Whitley City Elementary School (547 students), and Pine Knot Elementary School (352 students). See the Mccreary 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.