SE Bluegrass News

Nicholas County Elementary School had the highest enrollment among Nicholas County schools, welcoming 677 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, 50.4% of them were girls, and 49.6% were boys.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 92.3% of Nicholas County Elementary School's total enrollment.

Among the two schools in Nicholas County, Nicholas County High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 483 students.

Nicholas County Elementary School is part of Nicholas County School District, which roughly covers schools within Nicholas County and has a main office in Carlisle.

In the previous school year, Nicholas County Elementary School also had the highest number of students among Nicholas 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
Nicholas County Elementary School	Carlisle	677
Nicholas County High School	Carlisle	483