SE Kentucky News

North Laurel High School had the highest enrollment among Laurel County schools, welcoming 1,605 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, 52.7% of them were boys, and 47.3% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 95.5% of North Laurel High School's total enrollment.

Among the 18 schools in Laurel County, South Laurel High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 1,378 students, while South Laurel Middle School welcomed 1,174 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

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

In the previous school year, North Laurel High School also had the highest number of students among Laurel 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
North Laurel High School	London	1,605
South Laurel High School	London	1,378
South Laurel Middle School	London	1,174
North Laurel Middle School	London	1,147
Hunter Hills Elementary School	Corbin	779
London Elementary School	London	724
Wyan-Pine Grove Elementary School	London	558
Bush Elementary School	London	537
East Bernstadt Elementary School	East Bernstadt	528
Colony Elementary School	London	408
Sublimity Elementary School	London	395
Hazel Green Elementary School	East Bernstadt	359
Johnson Elementary School	London	342
Camp Ground Elementary School	London	338
Keavy Elementary School	Keavy	331
Cold Hill Elementary School	London	297
Laurel County Day Treatment	London	128
McDaniel Learning Center	London	117