Enrollment
269
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 210271002457
The Central Academy — Henderson, KY
Federal NCES profile for The Central Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 17
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 73
📋 Attendance 41
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: Henderson County · 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)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.8:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
+33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.6%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How The Central Academy 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
The Central Academy reports 269 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 12.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 33% 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 31% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 69.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 18% above the Kentucky average and 34% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 135 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Henderson County spends $15,873 per pupil district-wide, above the Kentucky average of $15,105 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.6% from local sources (property taxes), 51.9% from the state, and 20.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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 The Central Academy 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 | 20.8:1 | ▲ 33% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.6% | ▲ 18% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 269 | top 26% | — | — |
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
69.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 18% 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
20.8:1
students per teacher
— 33% above state mean
Top 95% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
23.8%
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
$15,873
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 135 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
43
in-school suspensions + 76 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 44.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 269 Top 26% in Kentucky — larger than 74% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 12.0
Students per teacher 20.8:1 +33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 69.6% +18% vs state
NCES ID 210271002457
Student demographics
White 69.1%
African American 13.4%
Two or More 11.2%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 69.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 135:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.8%
In-school suspensions 43
Out-of-school suspensions 76
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Henderson County, which includes The Central Academy.
$15,873
Per student
+5%
vs Kentucky
Avg $15,105
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.6%
State 51.9%
Federal 20.6%
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
- 1,852
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 670
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 661
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 514
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 421
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
Similar other schools in Henderson
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 The Central Academy
How many students attend The Central Academy?
The Central Academy has 269 students enrolled. It is a other school in Henderson, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at The Central Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at The Central Academy is 20.8:1, which is 33% higher than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 31% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at The Central Academy?
69.6% of students at The Central Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Central Academy?
The largest demographic group at The Central Academy is White at 69.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Henderson, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Central Academy?
The Central Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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.