Enrollment
277
Elementary
DISTRICT 296 · STATE 421
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HARLAN COUNTY·NCES 210254000541
James A. Cawood Elementary
279 Ball Park Rd, Harlan, KY 40831 · (606) 573-5029 · Harlan County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL277 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
10.9:1
25 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.9:1 · STATE 15.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
83%
230 students
DISTRICT 84% · STATE 63%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 19 | 7% |
| Kindergarten | 31 | 11% |
| Grade 1 | 29 | 10% |
| Grade 2 | 35 | 13% |
| Grade 3 | 22 | 8% |
| Grade 4 | 22 | 8% |
| Grade 5 | 29 | 10% |
| Grade 6 | 34 | 12% |
| Grade 7 | 23 | 8% |
| Grade 8 | 33 | 12% |
Student demographics
3%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 10% · STATE 47% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
James A. Cawood Elementary→Harlan County High School
Based on grade levels within Harlan County. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
KSA (K-PREP) 2024-25 . % Proficient/DistinguishedEnglish Language Arts
62.0%
KY avg 47.9%
Math
49.7%
KY avg 42.8%
What this means: On the KSA (K-PREP), Kentucky's statewide test, about 62 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 50 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Kentucky schools, those numbers are about 48 and 43.
Source: KSA (K-PREP). All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of KY schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
51.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
34.2%
based on KY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+17.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 52% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 34% typical for Kentucky schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 18 points, placing it in Kentucky's top 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Where James A. Cawood Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Kentucky | In Harlan County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 51.9% | #202 of 669 | #4 of 9 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 49.7% | #237 of 668 | #3 of 9 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 62.0% | #143 of 674 | #3 of 9 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 277 | #598 of 744 | #6 of 9 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.9:1 | #10 of 674 | #1 of 8 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 2.9% | #665 of 674 | #8 of 8 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 83.0% | #84 of 721 | #6 of 9 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -29.7% | #36 of 437 | #1 of 7 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
277
-76 (-22%) vs 2020
-40% since 1990-91, when it was 465
Student : Teacher
10.9:1
was 12.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 277 | 25.3 | 10.9:1 | 83% (230) |
| 2023-24 | 283 | 27.3 | 10.3:1 | 86% (242) |
| 2022-23 | 307 | 26.3 | 11.7:1 | 85% (262) |
| 2020-21 | 353 | 28 | 12.6:1 | 83% (293) |
| 2017-18 | 394 | 24.3 | 16.2:1 | 85% (335) |
| 2015-16 | 355 | 23 | 15.4:1 | 89% (317) |
| 2010-11 | 309 | 22 | 14.1:1 | 87% (269) |
| 2000-01 | 290 | 13 | 22.3:1 | 85% (246) |
| 1990-91 | 465 | 29 | 16.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for James A. Cawood Elementary.
About James A. Cawood Elementary
James A. Cawood Elementary is an elementary school with a street address in Harlan, Kentucky. Enrollment in 2024-25 was 277 students in pre-K through 8. The average for elementary schools in Kentucky is about 421 students, so this school is 34% smaller than average.
Harlan County operates 9 schools. Combined enrollment is 3,310 students.
The large majority of students at James A. Cawood Elementary, 99%, are White. The chance that two students picked at random at James A. Cawood Elementary belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 3%.
Its teaching staff equals 25.3 full-time positions, a ratio of 10.9:1. For comparison, elementary schools in Kentucky average 15.4:1. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, a common measure of family income, is 83%.
The allk12 BeatsExpectations score for James A. Cawood Elementary is +17.6 points, in the top 10% of Kentucky. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 51.9%, and the predicted rate is 34.2%.
Among Harlan County residents, median household income is about $41,693, roughly 13% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 21% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Federal data list 15 public schools in Harlan County, with a combined enrollment of about 4,310.
Appalachian Challenge Academy is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.8 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, 4 other public schools are within five miles. Of 7 schools in the immediate area with test results, James A. Cawood Elementary ranks 3rd on average proficiency.
James A. Cawood Elementary falls in the Town: Distant locale category, used for schools in a town some distance from an urbanized area.
James A. Cawood Elementary had 353 students in 2020-21 and 277 in 2024-25, a 22% decrease. The student-to-teacher ratio went down from 12.6:1 to 10.9:1.
Parents and students can post about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news at James A. Cawood Elementary. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Harlan County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
25,772
Census ACS
Median income
$41,693
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
13%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
21%
Below federal line
Schools in county
15
4,310 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Harlan County
- Harlan County High SchoolHigh · 945 students
- Cumberland Elementary SchoolElementary · 428 students
- Rosspoint Elementary SchoolElementary · 369 students
- Wallins Elementary SchoolElementary · 352 students
- Evarts Elementary SchoolElementary · 335 students
- Black Mountain Elementary SchoolElementary · 248 students
Other schools in Harlan
- Harlan High SchoolHigh · 455 students
- Harlan Elementary SchoolElementary · 335 students
- Sunshine SchoolElementary · 110 students
- Cumberland Tech - Harlan CampusHigh
- Kentucky TECH - Harlan Regional Tech CtrHigh
Nearby schools
- Appalachian Challenge Academy0.8 mi · 100
- Sunshine School2.5 mi · 110
- Harlan High School2.6 mi · 455
- Harlan Elementary School2.6 mi · 335
- Cawood Elementary School5.2 mi · 209
- Wallins Elementary School5.2 mi · 352
Frequently asked questions
About James A. Cawood ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at James A. Cawood Elementary?
James A. Cawood Elementary enrolls approximately 277 students in grades PK-08.
Is James A. Cawood Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
James A. Cawood Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at James A. Cawood Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at James A. Cawood Elementary is approximately 10.9:1 (25 FTE teachers).
How diverse is James A. Cawood Elementary?
James A. Cawood Elementary reports a student body of 99% White, 0% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Two or more.
Is James A. Cawood Elementary public or private?
James A. Cawood Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Harlan County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.