NE Kentucky News

East Carter County High School had the highest enrollment among Carter County schools, welcoming 762 students during the 2022-23 school year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2022-23 school year, 51.6% of them were boys, and 48.4% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 96.7% of East Carter County High School's total enrollment.

Among the 11 schools in Carter County, Prichard Elementary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 655 students, while West Carter County High School welcomed 596 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

East Carter County High School is part of Carter County School District, which roughly covers schools within Carter County and has a main office in Grayson.

In the previous school year, East Carter County High School also had the highest number of students among Carter County schools.

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.

School name	City	Total School Enrollment
East Carter County High School	Grayson	762
Prichard Elementary School	Grayson	655
West Carter County High School	Olive Hill	596
East Carter Middle School	Grayson	579
West Carter Middle School	Olive Hill	474
Olive Hill Elementary School	Olive Hill	454
Tygart Creek Elementary School	Olive Hill	419
Heritage Elementary School	Grayson	350
Carter City Elementary School	Grayson	126
Star Elementary School	Rush	121
Carter Virtual Academy	Olive Hill	13