Jesse D Lay Elementary School

Jesse D Lay Elementary School is one of the tight-knit K-5 schools in Barbourville, Kentucky, part of Knox County, with 325 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 421 students per school, that is 23% leaner than typical.

Knox County runs 14 schools in total, collectively educating 3,738 students. Jesse D Lay Elementary School is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, Jesse D Lay Elementary School logs that the student body is overwhelmingly White (94%). The remainder comes out to 3% Hispanic. Compared to Knox County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

On the resource side, Jesse D Lay Elementary School logs 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 12.7:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.4:1, putting Jesse D Lay Elementary School tighter than the state norm the norm. About 57% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Knox County (around 74%), the school's rate is south of typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Jesse D Lay Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 43.9% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 55.2%.

In the surrounding community, census data for Knox County shows the typical household earns roughly $32,527 per year, 14% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 33% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Knox County runs 20 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,276 students), of which Jesse D Lay Elementary School is one.

Knox Inspire Academy is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Jesse D Lay Elementary School comes 2nd of 4 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 60.9%.

Jesse D Lay Elementary School operates from a town-based location.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Jesse D Lay Elementary School has stayed largely flat, going from 329 students in 2018 to 325 in 2025.

On this page, posts here usually surface around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.