Other / mixed grade configuration · Louisville, KY

The Phoenix School of Discovery

Federal NCES profile for The Phoenix School of Discovery, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 210299002121
0/100100/10049/100
👥 S:T ratio
63
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
62
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

The Phoenix School of Discovery earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Kentucky schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Kentucky schools.

#21 of 68
schools in Louisville · Resource Index
49
Resource Index · Higher
9.3:1
small classes for Kentucky
57.4%
free-lunch eligible

The Phoenix School of Discovery has class sizes smaller than 92% of Kentucky schools. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, The Phoenix School of Discovery ranks #21 of 68 schools in Louisville, KY.

School address

Enrollment

383

Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

41.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

9.3:1

vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg

-39% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

57.4%

vs 59.2% Kentucky avg

-3% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How The Phoenix School of Discovery compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at The Phoenix School of Discovery

The Phoenix School of Discovery is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Louisville, Kentucky, enrolling 383 students.

Classes run notably small here: at 9.3:1, The Phoenix School of Discovery is leaner than roughly 92% of Kentucky schools and 39% under the state's 15.2:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.4% lands close to the Kentucky typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

With 383 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kentucky median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.

Against 437 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #110.

Its student body is led by White (61%) and African American (26%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 55/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 192 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Jefferson County spends $17,376 per pupil, 32% above the Kentucky average, a better-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 22.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Louisville's public schools, it stands alongside Marion C. Moore School (1,892 students): The Phoenix School of Discovery is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.3:1 vs 14.9:1).

Jefferson County also operates Ballard High (2,148 students) and Dupont Manual High (1,899 students) alongside The Phoenix School of Discovery.

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 The Phoenix School of Discovery compares

The Phoenix School of Discovery on the metrics families compare, against Kentucky and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Kentucky Kentucky avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 9.3:1 ▼ 39% 15.2:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 57.4% ▼ 3% 59.2% 51.7%
Enrollment 383 top 59% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

9.3:1
Leaner classes than 92% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
383
Bigger than 45% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
57.4%
free-lunch eligible - 3% 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
9.3:1
students per teacher - 39% below state mean
Top 8% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
48.0%
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
$17,376
per pupil, district-wide - above Kentucky avg of $13,211
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 192 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 30 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.2 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 61.4%
African American 25.8%
Two or More 6.5%
Hispanic or Latino 4.4%
Asian 1.8%

Largest group: White at 61.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 55.0/100

Simpson diversity index - at 55.0, The Phoenix School of Discovery is more mixed than the Kentucky school average of 34.5.

Programs

AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson County, which includes The Phoenix School of Discovery.

$17,376
Per student
+32%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.8%
State 30.9%
Federal 22.3%

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 The Phoenix School of Discovery Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Ballard High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Dupont Manual High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Marion C. Moore School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Eastern High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Pleasure Ridge Park High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to The Phoenix School of Discovery's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Jefferson County · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Louisville

6 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on The Phoenix School of Discovery's federal record.

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 The Phoenix School of Discovery

How many students attend The Phoenix School of Discovery?

The Phoenix School of Discovery has 383 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Louisville, KY.

What is the student-teacher ratio at The Phoenix School of Discovery?

The student-teacher ratio at The Phoenix School of Discovery is 9.3:1, which is 39% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 41% 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 The Phoenix School of Discovery?

57.4% of students at The Phoenix School of Discovery are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Phoenix School of Discovery?

The largest demographic group at The Phoenix School of Discovery is White at 61.4% of enrollment, in Louisville, KY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.0/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for The Phoenix School of Discovery?

The Phoenix School of Discovery has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does The Phoenix School of Discovery rank among schools in Louisville?

By Resource Investment Index, The Phoenix School of Discovery ranks #21 of 68 schools in Louisville, KY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Louisville on the city page.

Is The Phoenix School of Discovery a good school?

The Phoenix School of Discovery earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Kentucky schools. It is also more 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 Jefferson County?

Besides The Phoenix School of Discovery, Jefferson County also operates Ballard High (2,148 students), Dupont Manual High (1,899 students), and Marion C. Moore School (1,892 students). See the Jefferson County district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.