SE Kentucky News

There were 844 eighth grade students enrolled in Laurel County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 0.1% more than the previous year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

North Laurel Middle School welcomed most of the eighth grade students in the county, registering 391 students.

Within Laurel County schools, the highest student population was found in first grade, with the smallest class sizes seen in preschool.

Statewide, Laurel County ranked 14th in enrollment numbers. It was also ranked 14th the year before.

Despite escaping some of the pandemic's educational disruptions, Kentucky's achievement gaps have remained an issue since 2019. In the eighth-grade reading assessments, for example, Hispanic students scored eight points lower than their white peers, and the gap reached 15 points in math. Black students fared even worse, falling more than 20 points behind and facing a failure rate nearly double that of their white counterparts.

School	# of 8th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
North Laurel Middle School	391	35.9%	1,089
South Laurel Middle School	378	35.8%	1,057
East Bernstadt Elementary School	40	7.4%	538
Laurel County Day Treatment	35	15.8%	222