East Kentucky Times

Johnson Central High School had the highest enrollment among Johnson County schools, welcoming 1,130 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, 52.7% of them were boys, and 47.3% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 98.1% of Johnson Central High School's total enrollment.

Among the 10 schools in Johnson County, Johnson County Middle School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 571 students, while Highland Elementary School welcomed 521 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

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

In the previous school year, Johnson Central High School also had the highest number of students among Johnson 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
Johnson Central High School	Paintsville	1,130
Johnson County Middle School	Paintsville	571
Highland Elementary School	Staffordsville	521
Central Elementary School	Paintsville	514
W. R. Castle Memorial Elementary School	Wittensville	435
Porter Elementary School	Hagerhill	425
Paintsville Elementary School	Paintsville	422
Paintsville High School	Paintsville	394
Flat Gap Elementary School	Flatgap	311
Johnson County Eagle Academy	Paintsville	23