Enrollment
665
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 210299000785
Western Middle School for the Arts — Louisville, KY
Federal NCES profile for Western Middle School for the Arts, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 23
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: Jefferson 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)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.5%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Western Middle School for the Arts 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
Western Middle School for the Arts reports 665 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% 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 11% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 56.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 5% below the Kentucky average and 9% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 222 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Jefferson County spends $19,590 per pupil district-wide, above the Kentucky average of $15,105 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 46.8% from local sources (property taxes), 30.9% from the state, and 22.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), 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 Western Middle School for the Arts 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 | 17.6:1 | ▲ 13% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.5% | ▼ 5% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 665 | top 81% | — | — |
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
56.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 5% 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
17.6:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 83% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
30.7%
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
$19,590
per pupil, district-wide
— above Kentucky avg of $15,105
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 222 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
80
in-school suspensions + 78 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 665 Top 81% in Kentucky — larger than 19% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 17.6:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 56.5% -5% vs state
NCES ID 210299000785
Student demographics
African American 49.6%
White 34.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.9%
Two or More 6.2%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 49.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 222:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.7%
In-school suspensions 80
Out-of-school suspensions 78
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson County, which includes Western Middle School for the Arts.
$19,590
Per student
+30%
vs Kentucky
Avg $15,105
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,148
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,899
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,892
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,790
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,777
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
Similar middle schools in Louisville
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Stuart Academy
Standard public school
1,166 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Noe Middle
Standard public school
1,155 students 20.4:1 students per teacher
Ramsey Middle
Standard public school
1,151 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Westport Middle
Standard public school
988 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Thomas Jefferson Middle
Standard public school
943 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
Lassiter Middle
Standard public school
921 students 16.5:1 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 Western Middle School for the Arts
How many students attend Western Middle School for the Arts?
Western Middle School for the Arts has 665 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Louisville, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Western Middle School for the Arts?
The student-teacher ratio at Western Middle School for the Arts is 17.6:1, which is 13% higher than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Western Middle School for the Arts?
56.5% of students at Western Middle School for the Arts are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Western Middle School for the Arts?
The largest demographic group at Western Middle School for the Arts is African American at 49.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Louisville, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Western Middle School for the Arts?
Western Middle School for the Arts has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) 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.