SE Kentucky News

Perry County Central High School had the highest enrollment among Perry County schools, welcoming 869 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, 51.2% of them were boys, and 48.8% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 95.2% of Perry County Central High School's total enrollment.

Among the 12 schools in Perry County, West Perry Elementary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 836 students, while East Perry County Elementary School welcomed 719 students and ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

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

In the previous school year, Perry County Central High School also had the highest number of students among Perry 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
Perry County Central High School	Hazard	869
West Perry Elementary School	Hazard	836
East Perry County Elementary School	Hazard	719
Roy G. Eversole Elementary School	Hazard	480
Robert W. Combs Elementary School	Happy	406
Buckhorn School	Buckhorn	346
Viper Elementary School	Viper	336
Hazard High School	Hazard	332
Robinson Elementary School	Ary	294
Hazard Middle School	Hazard	285
Learning Academy	Hazard	110
Perry County Alternative School	Hazard	30