Enrollment
547
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Whitley City, KY
Whitley City Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Whitley City Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 210399001021
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Whitley City Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kentucky median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Kentucky schools.
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 81.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 547
- students enrolled
Whitley City Elementary School has class sizes near the Kentucky median. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Mccreary County · Kentucky
NCES ID 210399001021 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.3%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whitley City Elementary School compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Whitley City Elementary School
Whitley City Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Whitley City, Kentucky, enrolling 547 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kentucky schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 81.3% of students qualify for free meals, 37% above the Kentucky average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 547 puts it in the larger third of Kentucky schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.
Against 200 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #124.
Its student body is predominantly White (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 7/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 547 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Mccreary County also operates Mccreary Central High School (711 students) and Mccreary County Middle School (633 students) alongside Whitley City 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 Whitley City Elementary School compares
Whitley City 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 | 13.7:1 | ▼ 10% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.3% | ▲ 37% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 547 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
547
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
81.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% above the Kentucky average of 59.2%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 32% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
26.5%
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
$13,759
per pupil, district-wide
- above Kentucky avg of $13,211
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 547 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 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 96.5%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
Two or More 1.3%
African American 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 96.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.8, Whitley City 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 Mccreary County, which includes Whitley City Elementary School.
$13,759
Per student
+4%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.2%
State 65.0%
Federal 23.8%
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 Whitley City Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mccreary Central High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mccreary County Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pine Knot Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Whitley City Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 711
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 633
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 5.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
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 (~547 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Whitley City Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Whitley City Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Mccreary 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 Whitley City Elementary School
How many students attend Whitley City Elementary School?
Whitley City Elementary School has 547 students enrolled. It is a public school in Whitley City, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whitley City Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Whitley City Elementary School is 13.7:1, which is 10% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 13% 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 Whitley City Elementary School?
81.3% of students at Whitley City Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whitley City Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Whitley City Elementary School is White at 96.5% of enrollment, in Whitley City, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whitley City Elementary School?
Whitley City Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Whitley City Elementary School a good school?
Whitley City Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kentucky median. It is also less 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 Mccreary County?
Besides Whitley City Elementary School, Mccreary County also operates Mccreary Central High School (711 students), Mccreary County Middle School (633 students), and Pine Knot Elementary School (352 students). See the Mccreary 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.