Ballard County Elementary School

Ballard County Elementary School operates as a mid-sized elementary school in Barlow, Kentucky, overseen by Ballard County. Current enrollment sits at 444 students spanning grades K through 5.

Ballard County comprises 4 schools with combined enrollment of 1,015 students; Ballard County Elementary School is among them.

In terms of who attends, Ballard County Elementary School logs that 84% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority; the rest consists of 10% multiracial, 3% Black, 3% Hispanic.

On the income-and-resources front, Ballard County Elementary School records 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 16.4:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 15.4:1 average. About 61% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Ballard County Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 42.5%; this one delivers 40.0%.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Ballard County put the typical household earns roughly $66,164 per year, roughly 18% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. In all, Ballard County runs 5 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,015 students), of which Ballard County Elementary School is one.

The closest other public school is Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center, roughly 0.0 miles away. 3 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Ballard County Elementary School at 5th of 7; the average score across the group is 41.8%.

The school occupies a rural site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 17%: 532 students in 2018 compared to 444 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share contracted from 90% to 84%.

On the community side, members of the Ballard County Elementary School community share and discuss school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.