East Pennyroyal News

Russell County High School had the highest enrollment among Russell County schools, welcoming 918 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, 51.7% of them were boys, and 48.3% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 93.4% of Russell County High School's total enrollment.

Among the five schools in Russell County, Russell Springs Elementary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 706 students, while Russell County Middle School welcomed 687 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

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

In the previous school year, Russell County High School also had the highest number of students among Russell 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
Russell County High School	Russell Springs	918
Russell Springs Elementary School	Russell Springs	706
Russell County Middle School	Russell Springs	687
Jamestown Elementary School	Jamestown	571
Salem Elementary School	Russell Springs	487