East Kentucky Times

Sebastian Elementary School had the highest enrollment among Breathitt County schools, welcoming 626 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, 55.8% of them were boys, and 44.2% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 98.9% of Sebastian Elementary School's total enrollment.

Among the seven schools in Breathitt County, Breathitt County High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 561 students, while Jackson City School welcomed 383 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

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

In the previous school year, Breathitt County High School had the highest number of students among Breathitt 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
Sebastian Elementary School	Jackson	626
Breathitt County High School	Jackson	561
Jackson City School	Jackson	383
Marie Roberts-Caney Elementary School	Lost Creek	314
Breathitt Regional School	Jackson	284
Highland-Turner Elementary School	Booneville	252
Breathitt County Day Treatment	Jackson	77