Enrollment
435
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Carlisle, KY
Nicholas County High School
Federal NCES profile for Nicholas County High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 210447001107
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Nicholas County High School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kentucky median.
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.5:1
- students per teacher
- 60.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 435
- students enrolled
Nicholas County High 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 210447001107 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.9%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nicholas County High School compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Nicholas County High School
Nicholas County High School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Carlisle, Kentucky, enrolling 435 students.
At 14.5:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 60.9% lands close to the Kentucky typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 435 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kentucky median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 91% of the 1,389 Kentucky schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 502 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kentucky schools statewide, it ranks #462, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment) (diversity index 13/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 435 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.5% 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 Elementary School (645 students): Nicholas County High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.5:1 vs 15.7:1).
Its district, Nicholas County, also runs Nicholas County Elementary School (645 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 High School compares
Nicholas County 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 | 14.5:1 | ▼ 5% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.9% | ▲ 3% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 435 | top 50% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
435
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% 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
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 43% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
40.5%
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 435 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 75 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.8 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 93.1%
Hispanic or Latino 6.0%
African American 0.5%
Two or More 0.5%
Largest group: White at 93.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.0, Nicholas County High 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 High 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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas County Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Nicholas County High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 645
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~435 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Nicholas County High School's federal record.
- Compare Nicholas County High 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 High School
How many students attend Nicholas County High School?
Nicholas County High School has 435 students enrolled. It is a public school in Carlisle, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nicholas County High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Nicholas County High School is 14.5:1, which is 5% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 8% 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 Nicholas County High School?
60.9% of students at Nicholas County High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nicholas County High School?
The largest demographic group at Nicholas County High School is White at 93.1% of enrollment, in Carlisle, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nicholas County High School?
Nicholas County High School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower 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 High School a good school?
Nicholas County High School earns 31/100 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 High School, Nicholas County also operates Nicholas County Elementary School (645 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.