Enrollment
239
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Phelps, KY
Phelps High School
Federal NCES profile for Phelps High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 210480001204
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Phelps High School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Kentucky schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Kentucky schools.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.6:1
- small classes for Kentucky
- 89.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 239
- students enrolled
Phelps High School has class sizes smaller than 79% of Kentucky schools. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.1%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Phelps High School compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Phelps High School
Phelps High School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Phelps, Kentucky, enrolling 239 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kentucky schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 89.1% of students qualify for free meals, 51% above the Kentucky average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 239 puts it in the smaller third of Kentucky schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.
Against 75 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #38.
Its student body is predominantly White (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 8/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 239 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 88 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 239 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Pike County also operates Valley Elementary School (844 students) and Mullins Elementary School (779 students) alongside Phelps High School.
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 Phelps High School compares
Phelps 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 17% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.1% | ▲ 51% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 239 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
239
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
89.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% above the Kentucky average of 59.2%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 21% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
46.4%
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
$13,492
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 239 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
75
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 31.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 36.8 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 95.8%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
Two or More 1.3%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 95.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.2, Phelps 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 Pike County, which includes Phelps High School.
$13,492
Per student
+2%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.5%
State 59.4%
Federal 19.1%
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.
How Phelps High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mullins Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Johns Creek Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Millard School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Belfry Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Phelps High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 844
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 779
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 616
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 601
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 589
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
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 (~239 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Phelps High School's federal record.
- Compare Phelps High School against another school. Compare schools
- Pike 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 Phelps High School
How many students attend Phelps High School?
Phelps High School has 239 students enrolled. It is a public school in Phelps, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Phelps High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Phelps High School is 12.6:1, which is 17% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 20% 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 Phelps High School?
89.1% of students at Phelps High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Phelps High School?
The largest demographic group at Phelps High School is White at 95.8% of enrollment, in Phelps, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Phelps High School?
Phelps High School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Phelps High School a good school?
Phelps High School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Kentucky schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Kentucky schools. 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 Pike County?
Besides Phelps High School, Pike County also operates Valley Elementary School (844 students), Mullins Elementary School (779 students), and Johns Creek Elementary School (616 students). See the Pike 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.