East Kentucky Times

Johnson Central High School had the highest enrollment among Johnson County schools, welcoming 959 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, 50.3% of them were girls, and 49.7% were boys.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 96.6% of Johnson Central High School's total enrollment.

Among the 10 schools in Johnson County, Paintsville Elementary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 477 students, while Johnson County Middle School welcomed 471 students and ranked third in the 2023-24 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.

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
Johnson Central High School	Paintsville	959
Paintsville Elementary School	Paintsville	477
Johnson County Middle School	Paintsville	471
W. R. Castle Memorial Elementary School	Wittensville	453
Porter Elementary School	Hagerhill	443
Highland Elementary School	Staffordsville	432
Central Elementary School	Paintsville	372
Paintsville High School	Paintsville	339
Flat Gap Elementary School	Flatgap	252
Johnson County Eagle Academy	Paintsville	208