Enrollment
202
Middle
DISTRICT 254 · STATE 558
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BALLARD COUNTY·NCES 210021000035
Ballard County Middle School
3561 Paducah Rd, Barlow, KY 42024 · (270) 665-8400 · Ballard County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL202 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 92% of Kentucky public middle schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Kentucky public middle schools
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
14 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.8:1 · STATE 15.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
50%
102 students
DISTRICT 61% · STATE 63%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 70 | 35% |
| Grade 7 | 70 | 35% |
| Grade 8 | 62 | 31% |
Student demographics
19%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 25% · STATE 47% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Ballard County. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at Ballard County Middle School.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
KSA (K-PREP) 2024-25 . % Proficient/DistinguishedEnglish Language Arts
64.3%
KY avg 47.9%
Math
53.0%
KY avg 42.8%
What this means: On the KSA (K-PREP), Kentucky's statewide test, about 64 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 53 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Kentucky schools, those numbers are about 48 and 43.
Source: KSA (K-PREP). All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
58.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
46.3%
based on KY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+12.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 58% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 46% typical for Kentucky schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Kentucky's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Ballard County Middle School
Ballard County Middle School's state test result (58.3% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballard County Middle School this school | 202 | 50.5% | 58.3% |
| Lyon County Middle School Eddyville | 210 | 46.7% | 60.6% |
| Bloomfield Middle School Bloomfield | 296 | 48.6% | 31.9% |
| Flaherty Elementary School Ekron | 299 | 51.2% | 36.9% |
| Marion County Middle School Lebanon | 290 | 54.1% | 53.8% |
| McLean County Middle School Calhoun | 321 | 48.6% | 47.8% |
Matched among Kentucky middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Ballard County Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 58.3% | #19 of 216 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 53.0% | #42 of 216 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 64.3% | #17 of 217 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 202 | #208 of 221 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.8:1 | #55 of 210 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 19.2% | #155 of 210 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 50.5% | #163 of 219 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -23.5% | #24 of 156 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
202
-28 (-12%) vs 2020
-26% since 1990-91, when it was 273
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
was 19.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 202 | 13.7 | 14.8:1 | 50% (102) |
| 2023-24 | 221 | 14 | 15.8:1 | 57% (127) |
| 2022-23 | 215 | 15.8 | 13.7:1 | 58% (124) |
| 2020-21 | 230 | 12 | 19.2:1 | 65% (150) |
| 2017-18 | 264 | 14.8 | 17.9:1 | 62% (163) |
| 2015-16 | 287 | 17 | 16.9:1 | 55% (158) |
| 2010-11 | 341 | 16 | 21.3:1 | 52% (178) |
| 2000-01 | 233 | 15 | 15.5:1 | 42% (98) |
| 1990-91 | 273 | 15 | 18.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Ballard County Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 23% (264 to 202); teachers down 7% (14.8 to 13.7).
About Ballard County Middle School
Federal records list Ballard County Middle School as a middle school in Barlow, Kentucky. Students in grades 6 through 8 make up the school's enrollment of 202 students. Middle schools in Kentucky average about 558 students, which makes this school 64% below average.
Ballard County Middle School is among 4 schools run by Ballard County, which serves 1,015 students.
The share of students at Ballard County Middle School who are White is 90%. Enrollment also includes 6% multiracial and 2% Black. Ballard County residents are about 92% White, a similar share. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 19, compared with 70 nationally.
Ballard County Middle School reports a ratio of 14.8 students per teacher, from 13.7 full-time-equivalent teachers. Across middle schools in Kentucky, the average ratio is 15.8:1. Lunch program data show 50% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The average for public schools in Ballard County is 59%.
Ballard County Middle School earns an A on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 92% of Kentucky public middle schools.
On BeatsExpectations, Ballard County Middle School is 12.1 points above its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of Kentucky schools.
Ballard County is the school's county. There, the median household earns about $66,164 a year, roughly 18% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 11%. Ballard County Middle School shares Ballard County with 4 other public schools.
Ballard Memorial High School is less than a tenth of a mile away, making it the nearest public school. Ballard County Middle School is one of several public schools in the area, with 3 others within five miles. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts Ballard County Middle School at 2nd of 7.
By NCES locale, the school is Rural: Distant, or in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
Federal enrollment counts fell from 230 (2020-21) to 202 (2024-25). Federal data show the ratio falling from 19.2:1 to 14.8:1.
This page is set up for the Ballard County Middle School community to discuss homework, tutoring, and testing dates. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Ballard County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
7,654
Census ACS
Median income
$66,164
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
18%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
5
1,015 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Ballard County
- Ballard County Elementary SchoolElementary · 444 students
- Ballard Memorial High SchoolHigh · 276 students
- Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart CenterElementary · 93 students
- Ballard County Career and Technology CtrHigh
Other schools in Barlow
- Ballard County Elementary SchoolElementary · 444 students
- Ballard Memorial High SchoolHigh · 276 students
- Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart CenterElementary · 93 students
- Ballard County Career and Technology CtrHigh
Nearby schools
- Ballard Memorial High School0.1 mi · 276
- Ballard County Elementary School0.2 mi · 444
- Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center0.2 mi · 93
- Heath Elementary School10.6 mi · 498
- Heath Middle School10.6 mi · 433
- McCracken Open Campus School10.7 mi · 72
Frequently asked questions
About Ballard County Middle SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Ballard County Middle School?
Ballard County Middle School enrolls approximately 202 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does Ballard County Middle School serve?
Ballard County Middle School serves grades 06-08.
How many students per teacher at Ballard County Middle School?
Approximately 14.8:1 students per teacher at Ballard County Middle School.
What is the student diversity at Ballard County Middle School?
Student demographics at Ballard County Middle School are roughly 90% White, 1% Hispanic, 2% Black, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees Ballard County Middle School?
Ballard County Middle School is overseen by Ballard County in Ballard County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.