East Kentucky Times

Valley Elementary School had the highest enrollment among Pike County schools, welcoming 977 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, 50.5% of them were girls, and 49.5% were boys.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 98.2% of Valley Elementary School's total enrollment.

Among the 21 schools in Pike County, Mullins Elementary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 859 students, while Johns Creek Elementary School welcomed 801 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

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

In the previous school year, Valley Elementary School also had the highest number of students among Pike 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
Valley Elementary School	Pikeville	977
Mullins Elementary School	Pikeville	859
Johns Creek Elementary School	Pikeville	801
Millard School	Pikeville	752
Pikeville Elementary School	Pikeville	691
Pike County Central High School	Pikeville	685
Belfry High School	Belfry	645
Belfry Elementary School	Belfry	616
Shelby Valley High School	Pikeville	605
Pikeville High School	Pikeville	544
Elkhorn City Elementary School	Elkhorn City	538
East Ridge High School	Lick Creek	519
Belfry Middle School	Belfry	445
Phelps Elementary School	Freeburn	432
Phelps High School	Phelps	347
Dorton Elementary School	Dorton	335
Bevins Elementary School	Sidney	273
Feds Creek Elementary School	Fedscreek	222
Kimper Elementary School	Kimper	162
Northpoint Academy	Pikeville	99
Pike County Day Treatment	Pikeville	68