Enrollment
269
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Beaver Dam, KY
Southern Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Southern Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 58/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 210450001118
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 56
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southern Elementary School earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of Kentucky schools.
- 58
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.4:1
- small classes for Kentucky
- 57.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 269
- students enrolled
Southern Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 71% of Kentucky schools. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Ohio County · Kentucky
NCES ID 210450001118 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.0%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southern Elementary School compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southern Elementary School
Southern Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Beaver Dam, Kentucky, enrolling 269 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kentucky schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.0% lands close to the Kentucky typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 269 puts it in the smaller third of Kentucky schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 90% of the 1,389 Kentucky schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 215 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #25.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
17.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 24.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Beaver Dam's public schools, it stands alongside Beaver Dam Elementary School (601 students): Southern Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.4:1 vs 16.7:1).
Ohio County also operates Ohio County High School (1,018 students) and Wayland Alexander Elementary School (635 students) alongside Southern Elementary 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 Southern Elementary School compares
Southern Elementary 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 | 13.4:1 | ▼ 12% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.0% | ▼ 4% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 269 | top 74% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
269
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
13.4:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 29% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
17.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,548
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.6 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 87.0%
Hispanic or Latino 11.5%
African American 0.7%
Asian 0.4%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: White at 87.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.0, Southern Elementary School is less mixed than the Kentucky school average of 34.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ohio County, which includes Southern Elementary School.
$11,548
Per student
-13%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.9%
State 58.8%
Federal 24.3%
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 Southern Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio County High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wayland Alexander Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Beaver Dam Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ohio County Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fordsville Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southern Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,018
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 635
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 601
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 523
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 245
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar other schools in Beaver Dam
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 (~269 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southern Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Southern Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Ohio 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 Southern Elementary School
How many students attend Southern Elementary School?
Southern Elementary School has 269 students enrolled. It is a public school in Beaver Dam, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southern Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Southern Elementary School is 13.4:1, which is 12% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 15% 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 Southern Elementary School?
57.0% of students at Southern Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southern Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Southern Elementary School is White at 87.0% of enrollment, in Beaver Dam, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southern Elementary School?
Southern Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Southern Elementary School a good school?
Southern Elementary School earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of 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 Ohio County?
Besides Southern Elementary School, Ohio County also operates Ohio County High School (1,018 students), Wayland Alexander Elementary School (635 students), and Beaver Dam Elementary School (601 students). See the Ohio 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.