East Pennyroyal News

There were 48 Hispanic or Latino students enrolled in McCreary County School District schools in the 2022-23 school year, 11.6% more than the previous year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Data showed that McCreary County School District welcomed 2,939 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, Hispanic or Latino students comprised 1.6% of the student body to be the second most represented ethnicity in the district.

McCreary County School District roughly covers four schools within McCreary County and has a main office in Stearns.

Among the four schools in McCreary County School District, Pine Knot Intermediate School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic or Latino students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 17 students.

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.

Year	Total District Enrollment	Total Hispanic or Latino Students	Hispanic or Latino %
2022-23	2,939	48	1.6%
2021-22	2,982	43	1.4%
2020-21	3,080	45	1.5%
2019-20	3,106	38	1.2%