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If you had an hour of school board time for Harlan High School, what would you bring up?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
455
High
DISTRICT 300 · STATE 558
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HARLAN INDEPENDENT·NCES 210252000552
Harlan High School
420 E Central St, Harlan, KY 40831 · (606) 573-8750 · Harlan County
GRADES 05–12HIGH32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL455 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 80% of Kentucky public high schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-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
17.1:1
27 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 47.3:1 · STATE 16.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
55%
250 students
DISTRICT 57% · STATE 63%
Community
4
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 5 | 65 | 14% |
| Grade 6 | 73 | 16% |
| Grade 7 | 54 | 12% |
| Grade 8 | 55 | 12% |
| Grade 9 | 58 | 13% |
| Grade 10 | 50 | 11% |
| Grade 11 | 47 | 10% |
| Grade 12 | 52 | 11% |
| Ungraded | 1 | 0% |
Student demographics
21%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
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
51.4%
KY avg 47.9%
Math
44.6%
KY avg 42.8%
What this means: On the KSA (K-PREP), Kentucky's statewide test, about 51 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 45 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
44.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
44.6%
based on KY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+0.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 45% 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 Harlan High School
Harlan High School's state test result (44.8% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlan High School this school | 455 | 54.9% | 44.8% |
| Crittenden County High School Marion | 381 | 54.3% | 40.3% |
| Bracken County High School Brooksville | 377 | 54.4% | 32.8% |
| Belfry High School Belfry | 463 | 58.1% | 39.3% |
| Green County High School Greensburg | 490 | 58.4% | 39.5% |
| Pike County Central High School Pikeville | 561 | 52.4% | 39.0% |
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 High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 44.8% | #43 of 211 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 44.6% | #86 of 211 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 51.4% | #76 of 211 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 455 | #174 of 304 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.1:1 | #125 of 217 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 21.5% | #131 of 217 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 54.9% | #129 of 230 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +8.6% | #36 of 72 |
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
455
+97 (+27%) vs 2020
-4% since 1990-91, when it was 472
Student : Teacher
17.1:1
was 14.9:1
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 | 455 | 26.7 | 17.1:1 | 55% (250) |
| 2023-24 | 449 | 27.2 | 16.5:1 | 64% (289) |
| 2022-23 | 391 | 25.9 | 15.1:1 | 64% (249) |
| 2020-21 | 358 | 24 | 14.9:1 | 67% (241) |
| 2017-18 | 419 | 26.2 | 16.0:1 | 51% (215) |
| 2015-16 | 421 | 24 | 17.5:1 | 55% (230) |
| 2010-11 | 490 | 31 | 15.8:1 | 51% (248) |
| 2000-01 | 539 | 34 | 15.8:1 | 44% (235) |
| 1990-91 | 472 | 30 | 15.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Harlan High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 9% (419 to 455); teachers up 2% (26.2 to 26.7).
About Harlan High School
Harlan High School is a low-enrollment high school. Its address is in Harlan, Kentucky. The school counts 455 students across grades 5 through 12.
Harlan Independent (3 schools, 900 students) runs Harlan High School.
White students make up 88% of enrollment at Harlan High School. The next largest groups are 5% multiracial and 4% Black. The school's diversity index is 21%, meaning two students picked at random have a 21% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
The school's student-to-teacher ratio is about 17.1:1, with 26.7 full-time-equivalent teachers. That matches the 16.6:1 average for high schools in Kentucky fairly closely. Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch make up 55% of enrollment. On average, public schools in Harlan County report 76%.
Measured against Kentucky public high schools, Harlan High School receives an A-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
On a poverty-adjusted basis, Harlan High School falls in the middle 80% of Kentucky schools: 44.8% actual against 44.6% predicted.
Federal survey data for Harlan County show that the median household income is $41,693, 13% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 21% of people live in poverty. There are 15 public schools in Harlan County, enrolling about 4,310 students in all.
The next-closest public school is Harlan Elementary School, less than a tenth of a mile away. Harlan High School is one of several public schools in the area, with 7 others within five miles. Harlan High School's average proficiency of 44.8% compares with 46.9% for its nearest scored neighbors.
The federal government classifies Harlan High School's location as Town: Distant.
The school enrolled 455 students in 2024-25, 97 more than the 358 it had in 2020-21. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 14.9:1 in 2020-21 to 17.1:1 in 2024-25.
If you have questions about school safety, transportation, and start times at Harlan High School, you can post them here. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
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 Elementary SchoolElementary · 335 students
- Sunshine SchoolElementary · 110 students
Other schools in Harlan
- Harlan Elementary SchoolElementary · 335 students
- James A. Cawood ElementaryElementary · 277 students
- Sunshine SchoolElementary · 110 students
- Cumberland Tech - Harlan CampusHigh
- Kentucky TECH - Harlan Regional Tech CtrHigh
Other Harlan High schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named Harlan High. Harlan High School is the 3rd largest of the 3.
- Harlan High SchoolSAN ANTONIO, TX · 2,778 students
- Harlan High SchoolHarlan, IA · 486 students
Nearby schools
- Harlan Elementary School0.1 mi · 335
- Sunshine School0.1 mi · 110
- James A. Cawood Elementary2.6 mi · 277
- Rosspoint Elementary School3.0 mi · 369
- Appalachian Challenge Academy3.0 mi · 100
- Harlan County High School3.5 mi · 945
Frequently asked questions
About Harlan High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Harlan High School?
Harlan High School enrolls approximately 455 students in grades 05-12.
What grades does Harlan High School serve?
Harlan High School serves grades 05-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harlan High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Harlan High School is approximately 17.1:1 (27 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Harlan High School?
Harlan High School reports a student body of 88% White, 2% Hispanic, 4% Black, 1% Asian, 5% Two or more.
What district is Harlan High School in?
Harlan High School is part of Harlan Independent.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.