Enrollment
276
High
DISTRICT 254 · STATE 558
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BALLARD COUNTY·NCES 210021000036
Ballard Memorial High School
3561 Paducah Rd, Barlow, KY 42024 · (270) 665-8400 · Ballard County
GRADES 09–12HIGH42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL276 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 87% of Kentucky public high 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.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
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 high schools
Student : Teacher
13.6:1
20 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.8:1 · STATE 16.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
54%
149 students
DISTRICT 61% · STATE 63%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 81 | 29% |
| Grade 10 | 65 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 82 | 30% |
| Grade 12 | 48 | 17% |
Student demographics
21%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
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at Ballard Memorial High School.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
KSA (K-PREP) 2024-25 . % Proficient/DistinguishedEnglish Language Arts
55.0%
KY avg 47.9%
Math
61.0%
KY avg 42.8%
What this means: On the KSA (K-PREP), Kentucky's statewide test, about 55 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 61 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
49.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
45.0%
based on KY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+4.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 49% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 45% 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 Memorial High School
Ballard Memorial High School's state test result (49.0% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballard Memorial High School this school | 276 | 54.0% | 49.0% |
| Hazard High School Hazard | 303 | 50.2% | 42.5% |
| Crittenden County High School Marion | 381 | 54.3% | 40.3% |
| Bracken County High School Brooksville | 377 | 54.4% | 32.8% |
| Livingston Central High School Smithland | 339 | 51.9% | 43.3% |
| Berea Community High School Berea | 309 | 51.5% | 44.3% |
Matched among Kentucky high 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 Memorial High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 49.0% | #26 of 211 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 61.0% | #14 of 211 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 55.0% | #49 of 211 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 276 | #211 of 304 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.6:1 | #30 of 217 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 21.2% | #132 of 217 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 54.0% | #139 of 230 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -29.0% | #7 of 139 |
Ranked against other public high 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
276
-44 (-14%) vs 2020
-34% since 1990-91, when it was 416
Student : Teacher
13.6:1
was 12.8:1
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 | 276 | 20.4 | 13.6:1 | 54% (149) |
| 2023-24 | 265 | 21 | 12.6:1 | 56% (149) |
| 2022-23 | 260 | 22.3 | 11.7:1 | 57% (148) |
| 2020-21 | 320 | 25 | 12.8:1 | 55% (177) |
| 2017-18 | 389 | 28.3 | 13.8:1 | 53% (206) |
| 2015-16 | 416 | 29 | 14.3:1 | 47% (197) |
| 2010-11 | 416 | 29 | 14.3:1 | 45% (188) |
| 2000-01 | 411 | 19 | 21.6:1 | 32% (131) |
| 1990-91 | 416 | 20 | 20.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Ballard Memorial High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 29% (389 to 276); teachers down 28% (28.3 to 20.4).
About Ballard Memorial High School
In Barlow, Kentucky, part of Ballard County, Ballard Memorial High School is a high school. The school enrolls 276 students, from grades 9 through 12. The school's enrollment is 51% smaller than the 558 average for high schools in Kentucky.
Ballard County enrolls 1,015 students in 4 schools, including Ballard Memorial High School.
Most students at Ballard Memorial High School are White: 88% of enrollment. The remaining students are 8% multiracial. For comparison, Ballard County is about 92% White. By the diversity index, Ballard Memorial High School comes in at 21%.
The school reports 20.4 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to about 13.6 students per teacher. For comparison, high schools in Kentucky average 16.6:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility covers 54% of students.
Ballard Memorial High School is graded A by allk12, scoring above 87% of Kentucky public high schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Based on its free or reduced-price lunch share, the BeatsExpectations model predicts an average proficiency rate on state tests of 45.0% for Ballard Memorial High School. The school posts 49.0%, 4.0 points above the prediction.
Ballard County has these Census figures: median household income is about $66,164, roughly 18% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 11%. The public schools of Ballard County number 5 and enroll about 1,015.
Ballard County Middle School is the closest public school, less than a tenth of a mile away in a straight line. There are 3 more public schools inside five miles. Ballard Memorial High School places 4th of 7 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is Rural: Distant: in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
Ballard Memorial High School had 320 students in 2020-21 and 276 in 2024-25, a 14% decrease.
The discussion area below is open to posts about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
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 County Middle SchoolMiddle · 202 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 County Middle SchoolMiddle · 202 students
- Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart CenterElementary · 93 students
- Ballard County Career and Technology CtrHigh
Nearby schools
- Ballard County Middle School0.1 mi · 202
- Ballard Co. Preschool/Headstart Center0.2 mi · 93
- Ballard County Elementary School0.2 mi · 444
- Heath Elementary School10.6 mi · 498
- Heath Middle School10.7 mi · 433
- McCracken Open Campus School10.8 mi · 72
Frequently asked questions
About Ballard Memorial High SchoolHow many students attend Ballard Memorial High School?
Ballard Memorial High School enrolls approximately 276 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Ballard Memorial High School serve?
Ballard Memorial High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Ballard Memorial High School?
Approximately 13.6:1 students per teacher at Ballard Memorial High School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Ballard Memorial High School?
At Ballard Memorial High School, the student body is approximately 88% White, 1% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Who oversees Ballard Memorial High School?
Ballard Memorial High 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.