Enrollment
304
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 210015000029
Poage Elementary School — Ashland, KY
Federal NCES profile for Poage Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 46
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: Ashland 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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.9%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Poage 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
Poage Elementary School reports 304 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 26% 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 28% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 61.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 5% above the Kentucky average and 19% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 304 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 21.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ashland Independent spends $12,871 per pupil district-wide, below the Kentucky average of $15,105 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 21.9% from local sources (property taxes), 56.6% from the state, and 21.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-), 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 Poage 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 | 11.5:1 | ▼ 26% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.9% | ▲ 5% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 304 | top 31% | — | — |
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
61.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 5% 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
11.5:1
students per teacher
— 26% below state mean
Top 14% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
21.7%
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
$12,871
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 304 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 304 Top 31% in Kentucky — larger than 69% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 11.5:1 -26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 61.9% +5% vs state
NCES ID 210015000029
Student demographics
White 90.1%
Two or More 4.3%
African American 3.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.6%
Asian 1.0%
Largest group: White at 90.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 304:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ashland Independent, which includes Poage Elementary School.
$12,871
Per student
-15%
vs Kentucky
Avg $15,105
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 21.9%
State 56.6%
Federal 21.5%
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
- 821
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 671
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 344
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 270
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 267
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
Similar elementary schools in Ashland
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Summit Elementary School
Standard public school
425 students 11.9:1 students per teacher
Hager Elementary School
Standard public school
344 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Cannonsburg Elementary School
Standard public school
272 students 9.3:1 students per teacher
Crabbe Elementary School
Standard public school
270 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Oakview Elementary School
Standard public school
267 students 11.7:1 students per teacher
Charles Russell Elementary School
Standard public school
202 students 9.7:1 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 Poage Elementary School
How many students attend Poage Elementary School?
Poage Elementary School has 304 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Ashland, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Poage Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Poage Elementary School is 11.5:1, which is 26% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 28% 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 Poage Elementary School?
61.9% of students at Poage Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Poage Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Poage Elementary School is White at 90.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Ashland, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Poage Elementary School?
Poage Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) 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.