SE Kentucky News

There were seven Asian students enrolled in Letcher County School District schools in the 2022-23 school year, the same number as in the previous year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Data showed that Letcher County School District welcomed 2,706 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, Asian students comprised 0.3% of the student body to be the second least represented ethnicity in the district.

Letcher County School District roughly covers nine schools within Letcher County and has a main office in Whitesburg.

Among the nine schools in Letcher County School District, West Whitesburg Elementary School and Letcher County Central High School recorded the highest enrollment of Asian students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of three students.

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.

Year	Total District Enrollment	Total Asian Students	Asian %
2022-23	2,706	7	0.3%
2021-22	2,990	7	0.2%
2020-21	3,091	9	0.3%
2019-20	3,119	6	0.2%