NE Kentucky News

There were 3,487 students enrolled in Ashland Independent School District in the 2023-24 school year, 0.1% less than the previous year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2023-24 school year, 51.1% of them were boys, and 48.9% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, making up 82.7% of the Ashland Independent School District's total enrollment.

Ashland Independent School District roughly covers nine schools within Boyd County and has a main office in Ashland.

Among those schools, Paul G. Blazer High School recorded the highest enrollment of 955 students in the 2023-24 school year.

Despite ongoing efforts to address educational disparities, Kentucky's achievement gaps persist. In the 2024 eighth-grade reading assessments, for example, Black students scored 24 points lower than their white peers, while Hispanic students were 19 points behind. In mathematics, the gaps were even more pronounced: Black students lagged by 29 points and Hispanic students by 19 points compared to white students. These disparities have remained relatively unchanged since 2000, highlighting the need for continued focus on equity in education.

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	Total Enrollment in 2022-23	Total Enrollment in 2023-24	% change
Paul G. Blazer High School	958	955	-0.3%
Ashland Middle School	739	727	-1.6%
Hager Elementary School	374	362	-3.2%
Crabbe Elementary School	358	345	-3.6%
Oakview Elementary School	312	323	3.5%
Poage Elementary School	323	313	-3.1%
Charles Russell Elementary School	234	247	5.6%
Ashland Head Start	210	236	12.4%
Ashland Alternative School	40	51	27.5%