SE Bluegrass News

There were 2,217 white students enrolled in Estill County School District schools in the 2022-23 school year, 4.1% less than the previous year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Data showed that Estill County School District welcomed 2,314 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, white students comprised 95.8% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the district.

Estill County School District roughly covers six schools within Estill County and has a main office in Irvine.

Among the six schools in Estill County School District, Estill County High School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 651 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 White Students	White %
2022-23	2,314	2,217	95.8%
2021-22	2,394	2,312	96.6%
2020-21	2,407	2,333	96.9%
2019-20	2,526	2,451	97%