SE Kentucky News

Harlan County High School had the highest enrollment among Harlan County schools, welcoming 1,143 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, 51% of them were boys, and 49% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 95.6% of Harlan County High School's total enrollment.

Among the 12 schools in Harlan County, Cumberland Elementary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 633 students, while Wallins Elementary School welcomed 473 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

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

In the previous school year, Harlan County High School also had the highest number of students among Harlan 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
Harlan County High School	Baxter	1,143
Cumberland Elementary School	Cumberland	633
Wallins Elementary School	Wallins	473
James A. Cawood Elementary School	Harlan	454
Evarts Elementary School	Evarts	451
Harlan High School	Harlan	448
Rosspoint Elementary School	Baxter	429
Black Mountain Elementary School	Evarts	378
Cawood Elementary School	Cawood	308
Harlan Elementary School	Harlan	281
Green Hills Elementary School	Bledsoe	170
Sunshine School	Harlan	128