East Pennyroyal News

McCreary Central High School had the highest enrollment among McCreary County schools, welcoming 786 students during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2023-24 school year, 51% of them were boys, and 49% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 95.3% of McCreary Central High School's total enrollment.

Among the four schools in McCreary County, McCreary County Middle School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 647 students, while Whitley City Elementary School welcomed 596 students and ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

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

In the previous school year, Pine Knot Intermediate School had the highest number of students among McCreary County schools.

According to the Kentucky Department of Education, 13% of teacher vacancies in the state remained unfilled throughout the 2023-24 school year.

District leaders also raised concerns about applicant quality, with 49% saying candidates were similar to the previous year and 42% saying they were of lower quality.

Currently, after adjusting for inflation, the average teacher salary in Kentucky is nearly 20% lower than in 2008. State data shows teachers earn about $14,000 less in real terms.

School name	City	Total School Enrollment
McCreary Central High School	Stearns	786
McCreary County Middle School	Stearns	647
Whitley City Elementary School	Whitley City	596
Pine Knot Intermediate School	Pine Knot	377