East Kentucky Times

There were 9,839 students enrolled in Pike County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 0.3% less than the previous year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Boys made up 50.7% of the county student body, while the other 49.3% were girls.

Data also showed that white students made up 95.6% of the student body, the largest percentage in Pike County schools, followed by 1.5% of multiracial students, 1.2% of Hispanic students and 1% of Black students.

Valley Elementary School had the highest enrollment among Pike County’s 22 schools in the 2022-23 cycle, welcoming 919 students.

Despite escaping some of the pandemic's educational disruptions, Kentucky's achievement gaps have remained an issue since 2019. In the eighth-grade reading assessments, for example, Hispanic students scored eight points lower than their white peers, and the gap reached 15 points in math. Black students fared even worse, falling more than 20 points behind and facing a failure rate nearly double that of their white counterparts.

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	Total Enrollment in 2022	Total Enrollment in 2023	% change
Valley Elementary School	924	919	-0.5%
Mullins Elementary School	764	812	6.3%
Johns Creek Elementary School	716	712	-0.6%
Pike County Central High School	717	685	-4.7%
Pikeville Elementary School	682	684	0.3%
Millard School	647	663	2.5%
Belfry Elementary School	641	632	-1.4%
Shelby Valley High School	576	581	0.9%
Belfry High School	573	572	-0.2%
Pikeville High School	556	535	-3.9%
Elkhorn City Elementary School	483	476	-1.5%
East Ridge High School	498	471	-5.7%
Belfry Middle School	383	369	-3.8%
Phelps Elementary School	355	320	-10.9%
Dorton Elementary School	286	283	-1.1%
Bevins Elementary School	258	255	-1.2%
Phelps High School	309	253	-22.1%
Feds Creek Elementary School	185	188	1.6%
Pike County Virtual Academy	197	139	-41.7%
Kimper Elementary School	144	138	-4.3%
Northpoint Academy	96	103	7.3%
Pike County Day Treatment	51	49	-4.1%