Enrollment
335
Elementary
DISTRICT 223 · STATE 421
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HARLAN INDEPENDENT·NCES 210252000551
Harlan Elementary School
420 E Central St, Harlan, KY 40831 · (606) 573-8715 · Harlan County
GRADES KG–04ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL335 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 70% of Kentucky public elementary schools
- B+Test 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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
23 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 62.4:1 · STATE 15.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
61%
205 students
DISTRICT 57% · STATE 63%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 82 | 24% |
| Grade 1 | 61 | 18% |
| Grade 2 | 66 | 20% |
| Grade 3 | 65 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 61 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (82) is 34% larger than its 4th grade class (61).
Student demographics
26%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 23% · 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
Students here typically continue to
Harlan Elementary School→Harlan High School
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Harlan Independent. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
KSA (K-PREP) 2024-25 . % Proficient/DistinguishedEnglish Language Arts
62.0%
KY avg 47.9%
Math
39.0%
KY avg 42.8%
What this means: On the KSA (K-PREP), Kentucky's statewide test, about 62 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 39 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
51.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
42.3%
based on KY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+9.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 52% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 42% 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 Elementary School
Harlan Elementary School's state test result (51.9% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlan Elementary School this school | 335 | 61.2% | 51.9% |
| Bremen Elementary School Bremen | 369 | 61.5% | 42.0% |
| Northside Elementary School Cynthiana | 292 | 61.6% | 38.8% |
| West Hopkins School Nebo | 293 | 59.0% | 40.0% |
| Ezra Sparrow Early Childhood Center Lawrenceburg | 303 | 61.4% | N/A |
| Perryville Elementary School Perryville | 313 | 58.5% | 68.1% |
Matched among Kentucky elementary 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 Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Kentucky | In Harlan County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 51.9% | #201 of 669 | #3 of 9 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 39.0% | #417 of 668 | #6 of 9 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 62.0% | #142 of 674 | #2 of 9 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 335 | #520 of 744 | #4 of 9 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.8:1 | #340 of 674 | #8 of 8 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 26.1% | #377 of 674 | #1 of 8 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 61.2% | #448 of 721 | #9 of 9 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +27.9% | #20 of 233 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary 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
335
+66 (+25%) vs 2020
-40% since 1990-91, when it was 556
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
was 14.2:1
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 | 335 | 22.7 | 14.8:1 | 61% (205) |
| 2023-24 | 352 | 22 | 16.0:1 | 71% (251) |
| 2022-23 | 345 | 23.3 | 14.8:1 | 66% (227) |
| 2020-21 | 269 | 19 | 14.2:1 | 72% (193) |
| 2017-18 | 262 | 18.3 | 14.3:1 | 71% (185) |
| 2015-16 | 285 | 18 | 15.8:1 | 68% (194) |
| 2010-11 | 325 | 22 | 14.8:1 | 62% (202) |
| 2000-01 | 337 | 14 | 24.1:1 | 86% (291) |
| 1990-91 | 556 | 39 | 14.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Harlan Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 28% (262 to 335); teachers up 24% (18.3 to 22.7).
About Harlan Elementary School
Harlan Elementary School is a small elementary school with an address in Harlan, Kentucky. It had 335 students in 2024-25, spanning kindergarten through 4. Elementary schools in Kentucky average about 421 students, which makes this school 20% below average.
The Harlan Independent system has 3 schools and 900 students.
Roughly 85% of students at Harlan Elementary School are White. The remaining students are 10% multiracial and 2% Black. Among people living in Harlan County, the White share is about 94%. The diversity index for Harlan Elementary School is 26%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
Its ratio of 14.8:1 is based on 22.7 full-time-equivalent teachers. The 15.4:1 average for elementary schools in Kentucky is close to this figure. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 61%. It compares with 76% for public schools in Harlan County.
Harlan Elementary School earns a B+ on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 70% of Kentucky public elementary schools.
Harlan Elementary School scores 51.9% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 42.3%.
In the wider Harlan County area, median household income comes to about $41,693, roughly 13% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 21% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Harlan County's 15 public schools enroll about 4,310 students and include Harlan Elementary School.
Less than a tenth of a mile separates Harlan Elementary School from the closest public school, Harlan High School. Other public schools within five miles: 7. The average proficiency across nearby scored schools is 45.7%; Harlan Elementary School's is 51.9%, ranking 2nd of 7.
Locale: Town: Distant. In NCES terms, the school is in a town some distance from an urbanized area.
A 25% gain took enrollment from 269 in 2020-21 to 335 in 2024-25.
You can use this page to share news and ask questions about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. You can also rate the school on this page.
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 Independent
- Harlan High SchoolHigh · 455 students
- Sunshine SchoolElementary · 110 students
Other schools in Harlan
- Harlan High SchoolHigh · 455 students
- James A. Cawood ElementaryElementary · 277 students
- Sunshine SchoolElementary · 110 students
- Cumberland Tech - Harlan CampusHigh
- Kentucky TECH - Harlan Regional Tech CtrHigh
Other Harlan Elementary schools
4 other US public schools in 4 states are named Harlan Elementary. Harlan Elementary School is the 3rd largest of the 5.
- Harlan Elementary SchoolFlorence, AL · 426 students
- Harlan Elementary SchoolBLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI · 373 students
- Harlan Elementary SchoolMount Pleasant, IA · 212 students
- Harlan Elementary SchoolMount Pleasant, IA · 195 students
Nearby schools
- Harlan High School0.1 mi · 455
- Sunshine School0.1 mi · 110
- James A. Cawood Elementary2.6 mi · 277
- Rosspoint Elementary School2.9 mi · 369
- Appalachian Challenge Academy3.0 mi · 100
- Harlan County High School3.5 mi · 945
Frequently asked questions
About Harlan Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Harlan Elementary School?
Harlan Elementary School enrolls approximately 335 students in grades KG-04.
What grades does Harlan Elementary School serve?
Harlan Elementary School serves grades KG-04.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harlan Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Harlan Elementary School is approximately 14.8:1 (23 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Harlan Elementary School?
At Harlan Elementary School, the student body is approximately 85% White, 2% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 10% Two or more.
Who oversees Harlan Elementary School?
Harlan Elementary School is overseen by Harlan Independent in Harlan County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.