Enrollment
273
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Manchester, KY
Paces Creek Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Paces Creek Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 210123001413
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Paces Creek Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kentucky median.
- #4 of 8
- public schools in Manchester · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 75.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Paces Creek Elementary has class sizes near the Kentucky median. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Paces Creek Elementary ranks #4 of 8 public schools in Manchester, KY.
School address
District: Clay County · Kentucky
NCES ID 210123001413 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.3%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Paces Creek Elementary compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Paces Creek Elementary
Paces Creek Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Manchester, Kentucky, enrolling 273 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kentucky schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 75.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 273 puts it in the smaller third of Kentucky schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.
Against 205 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #140.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment) (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 273 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 61.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 25.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Clay County also operates Clay County High School (762 students) and Manchester Elementary School (409 students) alongside Paces Creek Elementary.
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 Paces Creek Elementary compares
Paces Creek Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Kentucky and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kentucky | Kentucky avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.7:1 | ▼ 10% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.3% | ▲ 27% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 273 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
273
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
75.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% 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
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 32% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
61.9%
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
$13,408
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 273 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 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 93.8%
Two or More 2.6%
Hispanic or Latino 2.2%
African American 0.7%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 93.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.9, Paces Creek Elementary is less mixed than the Kentucky school average of 34.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Clay County, which includes Paces Creek Elementary.
$13,408
Per student
+1%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.0%
State 59.1%
Federal 25.9%
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 Paces Creek Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Manchester Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Clay County Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Burning Springs Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hacker Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Paces Creek Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 762
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 409
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 387
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 297
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 244
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar elementary 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 (~273 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Paces Creek Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Paces Creek Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Clay 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 Paces Creek Elementary
How many students attend Paces Creek Elementary?
Paces Creek Elementary has 273 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Manchester, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paces Creek Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Paces Creek Elementary is 13.7:1, which is 10% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 13% 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 Paces Creek Elementary?
75.3% of students at Paces Creek Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Paces Creek Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Paces Creek Elementary is White at 93.8% of enrollment, in Manchester, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paces Creek Elementary?
Paces Creek Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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).
How does Paces Creek Elementary rank among public schools in Manchester?
By Resource Investment Index, Paces Creek Elementary ranks #4 of 8 public schools in Manchester, KY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Manchester on the city page.
Is Paces Creek Elementary a good school?
Paces Creek Elementary earns 40/100 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 Clay County?
Besides Paces Creek Elementary, Clay County also operates Clay County High School (762 students), Manchester Elementary School (409 students), and Clay County Middle School (387 students). See the Clay 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.