SE Kentucky News

Letcher County Central High School had the highest enrollment among Letcher County schools, welcoming 901 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, 52.6% of them were boys, and 47.4% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 98.1% of Letcher County Central High School's total enrollment.

Among the nine schools in Letcher County, West Whitesburg Elementary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 517 students, while Jenkins Independent School welcomed 475 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

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

In the previous school year, Letcher County Central High School also had the highest number of students among Letcher 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
Letcher County Central High School	Whitesburg	901
West Whitesburg Elementary School	Whitesburg	517
Jenkins Independent School	Jenkins	475
Martha Jane Potter Elementary School	Whitesburg	435
Cowan Elementary School	Whitesburg	377
Whitesburg Middle School	Whitesburg	230
Fleming Neon Middle School	Neon	217
Arlie Boggs Elementary School	Eolia	166
Letcher County Alternative Education Center	Whitesburg	22