East Pennyroyal News

Wayne County High School had the highest enrollment among Wayne County schools, welcoming 1,001 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, 51.5% of them were boys, and 48.5% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 91.6% of Wayne County High School's total enrollment.

Among the eight schools in Wayne County, Wayne County Middle School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 756 students, while Monticello Elementary School welcomed 715 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

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

In the previous school year, Wayne County High School also had the highest number of students among Wayne 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
Wayne County High School	Monticello	1,001
Wayne County Middle School	Monticello	756
Monticello Elementary School	Monticello	715
Walker Early Learning Center	Monticello	451
Bell Elementary School	Monticello	428
Otter Creek Academy	Monticello	109
Lake Cumberland Youth Development Center	Monticello	98
Wayne County Learning Academy	Monticello	30