Enrollment
645
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 210447001106
Nicholas County Elementary School — Carlisle, KY
Federal NCES profile for Nicholas County Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 36
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: Nicholas 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)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
+4% 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
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
Nicholas County Elementary School reports 645 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 41.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 2% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 67.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% above the Kentucky average and 29% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 645 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Nicholas County spends $13,213 per pupil district-wide, below the Kentucky average of $15,105 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.0% from local sources (property taxes), 63.5% from the state, and 20.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Nicholas County 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 | 16.2:1 | ▲ 4% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.0% | ▲ 13% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 645 | top 80% | — | — |
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
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
16.2:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 67% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.7%
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
$13,213
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
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
Enrollment 645 Top 80% in Kentucky — larger than 20% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 41.0
Students per teacher 16.2:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 67.0% +13% vs state
NCES ID 210447001106
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 645:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.7%
In-school suspensions 57
Out-of-school suspensions 43
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Nicholas County, which includes Nicholas County Elementary School.
$13,213
Per student
-13%
vs Kentucky
Avg $15,105
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 435
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
Similar other schools in Carlisle
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Nicholas County Elementary School
How many students attend Nicholas County Elementary School?
Nicholas County Elementary School has 645 students enrolled. It is a other 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 16.2:1, which is 4% higher than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Carlisle, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nicholas County Elementary School?
Nicholas County Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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.