SE Kentucky News

Bell County High School had the highest enrollment among Bell County schools, welcoming 772 students during the 2022-23 school year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2022-23 school year, 54.4% of them were boys, and 45.6% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 97.2% of Bell County High School's total enrollment.

Among the 12 schools in Bell County, Yellow Creek School Center ranked second in enrollment numbers with 655 students, while Pineville Independent School welcomed 635 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

Bell County High School is part of Bell County School District, which roughly covers schools within Bell County and has a main office in Pineville.

In the previous school year, Bell County High School also had the highest number of students among Bell County schools.

Kentucky is in the midst of a statewide teacher shortage as turnover rates spiked to 10.9% in 2023, up from an 8.9% nine-year average. This issue is more prominent in schools with more low-income and minority students.

Data also shows that between 2019 and 2023, there was an increase of 260% in the number of available teaching posts in Kentucky schools. This often leads to larger class sizes, combining programs, and retaining staff despite potential negative impacts on teacher working conditions.

School name	City	Total School Enrollment
Bell County High School	Pineville	772
Yellow Creek School Center	Middlesboro	655
Pineville Independent School	Pineville	635
Bell Central School Center	Pineville	555
Middlesboro Elementary School	Middlesboro	545
Middlesboro High School	Middlesboro	393
Middlesboro Middle School	Middlesboro	377
Page School Center	Pineville	363
Right Fork School Center	Stoney Fork	217
Lone Jack School Center	Fourmile	205
Frakes School Center	Frakes	141
Middlesboro Alternative School	Middlesboro	89