Total enrollment
4,178
-320 (-7%) vs SY 2020-21
13 schools in Nelson County
Kentucky · 4,178 students · 5 cities
Nelson County runs 13 public K-12 schools inside Kentucky, with combined enrollment around 4,178 (6 elementary, 2 middle, and 4 high).
4-year change in Nelson County
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
12
+1 (+9%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Nelson County ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In Kentucky | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 35.4% | #107 of 139 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 4,178 | #33 of 158 | #2,321 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 12 | #24 of 158 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.5:1 | #86 of 158 | #5,995 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 52.7% | #129 of 158 | #3,780 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 18.7% | #86 of 137 | #5,830 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Inside Nelson County
State test results across the district's 9 scored schools run from Coxs Creek Elementary School at 42.1% proficient to Old Kentucky Home Middle School at 28.9%, a gap of 13.2 points. That is the 87th widest gap among 101 Kentucky districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 11 district schools that reported both years went from 4,585 to 4,163 students (down 9%) and from 266 to 268 full-time teachers (up 1%), as of 2024-25.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson County High School | Bardstown | High | 09-12 | 756 |
| Thomas Nelson High School | Bardstown | High | 09-12 | 629 |
| Old Kentucky Home Middle School | Bardstown | Middle | 06-08 | 594 |
| Foster Heights Elementary School | Bardstown | Elementary | KG-05 | 588 |
| Coxs Creek Elementary School | Coxs Creek | Elementary | KG-05 | 474 |
| Bloomfield Middle School | Bloomfield | Middle | 06-08 | 296 |
| Boston School | Boston | Elementary | PK-08 | 251 |
| Bloomfield Elementary School | Bloomfield | Elementary | KG-05 | 225 |
| The New Haven School | New Haven | Elementary | KG-08 | 162 |
| Nelson County Early Learning Center | Bardstown | Elementary | PK-PK | 150 |
| The Academy at Horizons | Bardstown | Combined | KG-12 | 38 |
| Heartland Youth Village | Bardstown | High | 06-12 | 15 |
| THE UP CENTER | Bardstown | High | 06-12 | 0 |
About Nelson County
As a compact district in Kentucky, Nelson County educates 4,178 students across 13 schools.
Looking at the level breakdown, Nelson County is built around 6 elementary, 2 middle, 4 high schools, and 1 combined or other.
On a per-school basis, Nelson County runs about 321 students per school, 31% below the state mean of roughly 467.
Five-year track record. Across the same 4-year window, public-school enrollment declined 7%: 4,498 students in SY 2020-21 versus 4,178 in SY 2024-25. The school count climbed from 11 to 12 across the same 4-year window.
On allk12, the community for Nelson County discusses sports rivalries, cross-district programs, and shared facilities. Members of the local community share what they see day-to-day.