Enrollment
645
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Carlisle, KY
Nicholas County Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Nicholas County Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 210447001106
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 36
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Nicholas County Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kentucky median.
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.7:1
- students per teacher
- 67.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 645
- students enrolled
Nicholas County Elementary School has class sizes near the Kentucky median. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Nicholas County · Kentucky
NCES ID 210447001106 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.0%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nicholas County Elementary School compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Nicholas County Elementary School
Nicholas County Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Carlisle, Kentucky, enrolling 645 students.
At 15.7:1, 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 67.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 645 puts it in the larger third of Kentucky schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.
Against 433 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #303.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 14/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 645 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Carlisle's public schools, it stands alongside Nicholas County High School (435 students): Nicholas County Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.7:1 vs 14.5:1).
Its district, Nicholas County, also runs Nicholas County High School (435 students).
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 Nicholas County Elementary School compares
Nicholas County Elementary 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 | 15.7:1 | ▲ 3% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.0% | ▲ 13% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 645 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.7:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
645
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 13% 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
15.7:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 60% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
25.7%
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
$11,206
per pupil, district-wide
- below Kentucky avg of $13,211
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 645 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
57
in-school suspensions + 43 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.5 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 92.4%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
Two or More 1.6%
African American 0.6%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 92.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.3, Nicholas County Elementary School is less mixed than the Kentucky school average of 34.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Nicholas County, which includes Nicholas County Elementary School.
$11,206
Per student
-15%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.0%
State 63.5%
Federal 20.5%
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 Nicholas County Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas County High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Nicholas County Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 435
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar other schools in Carlisle
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~645 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Nicholas County Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Nicholas County Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Nicholas 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 Nicholas County Elementary School
How many students attend Nicholas County Elementary School?
Nicholas County Elementary School has 645 students enrolled. It is a public school in Carlisle, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nicholas County Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Nicholas County Elementary School is 15.7:1, which is 3% higher than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Nicholas County Elementary School?
67.0% of students at Nicholas County Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nicholas County Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Nicholas County Elementary School is White at 92.4% of enrollment, in Carlisle, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nicholas County Elementary School?
Nicholas County Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Nicholas County Elementary School a good school?
Nicholas County Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kentucky median. 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 Nicholas County?
Besides Nicholas County Elementary School, Nicholas County also operates Nicholas County High School (435 students). See the Nicholas 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.