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Best kept secret at Harlan County High School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
945
High
DISTRICT 368 · STATE 558
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HARLAN COUNTY·NCES 210254002213
Harlan County High School
4000 N US Hwy 119, Baxter, KY 40806 · (606) 574-2020 · Harlan County
GRADES 09–12HIGH41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL945 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 44% of Kentucky public high schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats 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
13.8:1
68 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.0:1 · STATE 16.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
81%
767 students
DISTRICT 84% · STATE 63%
Community
5
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 | 263 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 225 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 251 | 27% |
| Grade 12 | 205 | 22% |
| Ungraded | 1 | 0% |
Student demographics
11%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 10% · 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 Harlan County. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
KSA (K-PREP) 2024-25 . % Proficient/DistinguishedEnglish Language Arts
25.0%
KY avg 47.9%
Math
34.0%
KY avg 42.8%
What this means: On the KSA (K-PREP), Kentucky's statewide test, about 25 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 34 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
32.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
34.9%
based on KY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-2.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 32% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 35% 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 Harlan County High School
Harlan County High School's state test result (32.0% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlan County High School this school | 945 | 81.2% | 32.0% |
| McCreary Central High School Stearns | 711 | 77.6% | 34.3% |
| Knox Central High School Barbourville | 720 | 74.6% | 35.8% |
| Whitley County High School Williamsburg | 919 | 72.7% | 47.0% |
| Lynn Camp Middle High School Corbin | 447 | 81.4% | 33.1% |
| Floyd Central High School Eastern | 534 | 74.7% | 31.3% |
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 Harlan County High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 32.0% | #156 of 211 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 34.0% | #148 of 211 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 25.0% | #202 of 211 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 945 | #80 of 304 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.8:1 | #32 of 217 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 11.4% | #176 of 217 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 81.2% | #15 of 230 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -11.7% | #47 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
945
-127 (-12%) vs 2020
-18% since 2010-11, when it was 1,158
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
was 17.6:1
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 | 945 | 68.3 | 13.8:1 | 81% (767) |
| 2023-24 | 944 | 69.3 | 13.6:1 | 83% (786) |
| 2022-23 | 997 | 66.8 | 14.9:1 | 80% (802) |
| 2020-21 | 1,072 | 61 | 17.6:1 | 86% (927) |
| 2017-18 | 1,070 | 58.1 | 18.4:1 | 79% (843) |
| 2015-16 | 1,049 | 55 | 19.1:1 | 76% (796) |
| 2010-11 | 1,158 | 65 | 17.8:1 | 69% (799) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Harlan County High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 12% (1,070 to 945); teachers up 18% (58.1 to 68.3).
About Harlan County High School
Federal records list Harlan County High School as a high school in Baxter, Kentucky. Its 945 students are spread across grades 9 through 12. The typical figure for high schools in Kentucky is about 558 students.
Harlan County is made up of 9 schools with 3,310 students in all.
Most students at Harlan County High School are White: 94% of enrollment. Other groups make up 2% Black and 2% Hispanic. County-wide, about 94% of residents are White. Harlan County High School has a diversity index of 11%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Its teaching staff equals 68.3 full-time positions, a ratio of 13.8:1. For comparison, high schools in Kentucky average 16.6:1. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, a common measure of family income, is 81%.
Harlan County High School is graded C+ by allk12, scoring above 44% of Kentucky public high schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Harlan County High School's actual average proficiency rate on state tests (32.0%) and its predicted rate (34.9%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of Kentucky schools.
Harlan County has about 25,772 residents, and median household income is about $41,693, 13% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 21% of people live in poverty. The public schools of Harlan County number 15 and enroll about 4,310.
The shortest distance from Harlan County High School to another public school is about 0.8 miles, to Rosspoint Elementary School. A five-mile radius around the school includes 6 other public schools. On state test proficiency, Harlan County High School ranks 7th in a group of 7 nearby schools.
The school is in rural territory close to an urban area, according to its NCES locale (Rural: Fringe).
Harlan County High School saw enrollment fall 12% between 2020-21 and 2024-25. By 2024-25, the school had 13.8 students per teacher, compared with 17.6 in 2020-21.
Community posts for Harlan County High School can cover science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Harlan County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
25,772
Census ACS
Median income
$41,693
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
13%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
21%
Below federal line
Schools in county
15
4,310 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Harlan County
- Cumberland Elementary SchoolElementary · 428 students
- Rosspoint Elementary SchoolElementary · 369 students
- Wallins Elementary SchoolElementary · 352 students
- Evarts Elementary SchoolElementary · 335 students
- James A. Cawood ElementaryElementary · 277 students
- Black Mountain Elementary SchoolElementary · 248 students
Nearby schools
- Rosspoint Elementary School0.8 mi · 369
- Harlan Elementary School3.5 mi · 335
- Sunshine School3.5 mi · 110
- Harlan High School3.5 mi · 455
- Green Hills Elementary School4.1 mi · 147
- Evarts Elementary School4.7 mi · 335
Frequently asked questions
About Harlan County High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Harlan County High School?
Harlan County High School enrolls approximately 945 students in grades 09-12.
Is Harlan County High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Harlan County High School is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Harlan County High School have?
Harlan County High School employs 68 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.8:1.
How diverse is Harlan County High School?
Harlan County High School reports a student body of 94% White, 2% Hispanic, 2% Black, 0% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Is Harlan County High School public or private?
Harlan County High School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Harlan County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.