SE Kentucky News

Harlan County High School had the highest enrollment among Harlan County schools, welcoming 1,029 students during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2023-24 school year, 51.7% of them were boys, and 48.3% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 95.4% of Harlan County High School's total enrollment.

Among the 12 schools in Harlan County, Cumberland Elementary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 518 students, while Harlan High School welcomed 486 students and ranked third in the 2023-24 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.

According to the Kentucky Department of Education, 13% of teacher vacancies in the state remained unfilled throughout the 2023-24 school year.

District leaders also raised concerns about applicant quality, with 49% saying candidates were similar to the previous year and 42% saying they were of lower quality.

Currently, after adjusting for inflation, the average teacher salary in Kentucky is nearly 20% lower than in 2008. State data shows teachers earn about $14,000 less in real terms.

School name	City	Total School Enrollment
Harlan County High School	Baxter	1,029
Cumberland Elementary School	Cumberland	518
Harlan High School	Harlan	486
Rosspoint Elementary School	Baxter	435
Wallins Elementary School	Wallins	397
Harlan Elementary School	Harlan	383
Evarts Elementary School	Evarts	375
James A. Cawood Elementary School	Harlan	339
Black Mountain Elementary School	Evarts	304
Cawood Elementary School	Cawood	228
Sunshine School	Harlan	146
Green Hills Elementary School	Bledsoe	140