Enrollment
1,342
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 210459001136
Owensboro High School — Owensboro, KY
Federal NCES profile for Owensboro High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 39
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 0
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: Owensboro Independent · 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)
87.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.6%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Owensboro 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
Owensboro High School reports 1,342 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 87.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% below the Kentucky state mean of 15.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 55.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 6% below the Kentucky average and 7% above the national baseline. The school offers 11 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 336 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 48.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Owensboro Independent spends $17,055 per pupil district-wide, above the Kentucky average of $15,105 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.0% from local sources (property taxes), 51.9% from the state, and 23.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), 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 Owensboro 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 | 15.3:1 | ▼ 2% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.6% | ▼ 6% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,342 | top 97% | — | — |
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
55.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 6% 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
15.3:1
students per teacher
— 2% below state mean
Top 53% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
48.5%
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
$17,055
per pupil, district-wide
— above Kentucky avg of $15,105
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 336 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
215
in-school suspensions + 131 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 1,342 Top 97% in Kentucky — larger than 3% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 87.0
Students per teacher 15.3:1 -2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 55.6% -6% vs state
NCES ID 210459001136
Student demographics
White 55.7%
Hispanic or Latino 15.6%
African American 13.2%
Two or More 12.4%
Asian 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 55.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 336:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 48.5%
In-school suspensions 215
Out-of-school suspensions 131
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Owensboro Independent, which includes Owensboro High School.
$17,055
Per student
+13%
vs Kentucky
Avg $15,105
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.0%
State 51.9%
Federal 23.1%
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
- 790
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 545
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 535
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 492
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
Similar high schools in Owensboro
5 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Daviess County High School
Standard public school
1,750 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Apollo High School
Standard public school
1,265 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Heritage Park High School
Alternative education program
140 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Emerson Academy
Alternative education program
104 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Valley High School
Alternative education program
16 students 3:1 students per teacher
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 Owensboro High School
How many students attend Owensboro High School?
Owensboro High School has 1,342 students enrolled. It is a high school in Owensboro, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Owensboro High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Owensboro High School is 15.3:1, which is 2% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Owensboro High School?
55.6% of students at Owensboro High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Owensboro High School?
The largest demographic group at Owensboro High School is White at 55.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Owensboro, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Owensboro High School?
Owensboro High School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) 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.