Enrollment
535
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 210459001139
Sutton Elementary School — Owensboro, KY
Federal NCES profile for Sutton Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 58/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 81
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)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.9%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
-29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sutton 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
Sutton Elementary School reports 535 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% above the Kentucky state mean of 15.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 41.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 29% below the Kentucky average and 19% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 268 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 7.5% 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 58/100 (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 Sutton 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 | 16.5:1 | ▲ 6% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.9% | ▼ 29% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 535 | top 67% | — | — |
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
41.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 29% 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
16.5:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 72% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
7.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 268 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
35
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 535 Top 67% in Kentucky — larger than 33% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 16.5:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 41.9% -29% vs state
NCES ID 210459001139
Student demographics
White 72.1%
Two or More 8.8%
African American 7.7%
Hispanic or Latino 6.4%
Asian 4.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 72.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 268:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 7.5%
In-school suspensions 35
Out-of-school suspensions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Owensboro Independent, which includes Sutton Elementary 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
- 1,342
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 790
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 545
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 492
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
Similar elementary schools in Owensboro
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Newton Parrish Elementary School
Standard public school
545 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Foust Elementary School
Standard public school
400 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Cravens Elementary School
Standard public school
396 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Valley Elementary School
Alternative education program
19 students 3.2:1 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 Sutton Elementary School
How many students attend Sutton Elementary School?
Sutton Elementary School has 535 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Owensboro, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sutton Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sutton Elementary School is 16.5:1, which is 6% higher than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sutton Elementary School?
41.9% of students at Sutton Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sutton Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Sutton Elementary School is White at 72.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Owensboro, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sutton Elementary School?
Sutton Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (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.