SE Kentucky News

There were 24 African American students enrolled in Whitley County School District schools in the 2022-23 school year, 9.1% more than the previous year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Data showed that Whitley County School District welcomed 4,683 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 0.5% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the district.

Whitley County School District roughly covers 11 schools within Whitley County and has a main office in Williamsburg.

Among the 11 schools in Whitley County School District, Whitley County High School recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of five 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 African American Students	African American %
2022-23	4,683	24	0.5%
2021-22	4,621	22	0.5%
2020-21	4,585	27	0.6%
2019-20	4,659	22	0.5%