East Kentucky Times

Prestonsburg Elementary School had the highest enrollment among Floyd County schools, welcoming 724 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, 53% of them were boys, and 47% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 94.9% of Prestonsburg Elementary School's total enrollment.

Among the 12 schools in Floyd County, Betsy Layne Elementary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 677 students, while South Floyd Elementary School welcomed 659 students and ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

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

In the previous school year, Prestonsburg Elementary School also had the highest number of students among Floyd 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
Prestonsburg Elementary School	Prestonsburg	724
Betsy Layne Elementary School	Betsy Layne	677
South Floyd Elementary School	Hi Hat	659
Floyd Central High School	Eastern	629
Prestonsburg High School	Prestonsburg	607
May Valley Elementary School	Martin	522
Allen Elementary School	Allen	519
Betsy Layne High School	Stanville	485
Duff-Allen Central Elementary School	Eastern	463
James D. Adams Middle School	Prestonsburg	337
John M. Stumbo Elementary School	Grethel	293
Renaissance Learning Center	Martin	284