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Parents: what's one thing you'd want the Knox Central High School administration to hear?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
720
High
DISTRICT 254 · STATE 558
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·KNOX COUNTY·NCES 210315000847
Knox Central High School
100 Panther Way, Barbourville, KY 40906 · (606) 645-2843 · Knox County
GRADES 09–12HIGH41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL720 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 55% of Kentucky public high schools
- C+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 high schools
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
52 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.2:1 · STATE 16.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
75%
537 students
DISTRICT 81% · 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 | 202 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 195 | 27% |
| Grade 11 | 169 | 23% |
| Grade 12 | 154 | 21% |
Student demographics
8%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 8% · 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
Test scores
KSA (K-PREP) 2024-25 . % Proficient/DistinguishedEnglish Language Arts
45.0%
KY avg 47.9%
Math
46.0%
KY avg 42.8%
What this means: On the KSA (K-PREP), Kentucky's statewide test, about 45 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 46 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
35.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
37.4%
based on KY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-1.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 36% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 37% 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 Knox Central High School
Knox Central High School's state test result (35.8% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox Central High School this school | 720 | 74.6% | 35.8% |
| Clay County High School Manchester | 762 | 71.7% | 39.3% |
| Bell County High School Pineville | 622 | 72.8% | 47.3% |
| McCreary Central High School Stearns | 711 | 77.6% | 34.3% |
| Whitley County High School Williamsburg | 919 | 72.7% | 47.0% |
| 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 Knox Central High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 35.8% | #124 of 211 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 46.0% | #74 of 211 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 45.0% | #127 of 211 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 720 | #120 of 304 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.8:1 | #31 of 217 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 7.9% | #190 of 217 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 74.6% | #28 of 230 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -13.4% | #34 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
720
-69 (-9%) vs 2020
-35% since 1990-91, when it was 1,114
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
was 17.5:1
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 | 720 | 52.2 | 13.8:1 | 75% (537) |
| 2023-24 | 751 | 49.3 | 15.2:1 | 75% (565) |
| 2022-23 | 761 | 50.1 | 15.2:1 | 78% (591) |
| 2020-21 | 789 | 45 | 17.5:1 | 74% (582) |
| 2017-18 | 831 | 52.9 | 15.7:1 | 74% (619) |
| 2015-16 | 890 | 54 | 16.5:1 | 64% (574) |
| 2010-11 | 899 | 60 | 15.0:1 | 75% (677) |
| 2000-01 | 873 | 52 | 16.8:1 | 73% (640) |
| 1990-91 | 1,114 | 57 | 19.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Knox Central High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 13% (831 to 720); teachers down 1% (52.9 to 52.2).
About Knox Central High School
Knox Central High School is a mid-sized high school in Knox County, located in Barbourville, Kentucky. It reports enrollment of 720 students in grades 9 through 12. On average, high schools in Kentucky enroll around 558, and this school is 29% above that mark.
Knox Central High School is one of the 14 schools that make up Knox County (3,738 students in total).
White students are 96% of those enrolled at Knox Central High School. That is in line with Knox County, where about 96% of residents are White. A diversity index of 8% means there is an 8% chance two randomly chosen students at Knox Central High School are from different groups.
The school lists 52.2 full-time-equivalent teachers and a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.8:1. Compared with the 16.6:1 average for high schools in Kentucky, this school's ratio is lower. Free or reduced-price lunch covers 75% of the student body. The average for public schools in Knox County is similar, at 74%.
On the allk12 Grade, Knox Central High School lands at B, ahead of 55% of Kentucky public high schools.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for Knox Central High School is 37.4%, and its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 35.8%.
In the wider Knox County area, the median household earns about $32,527 a year, about 14% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 33% of residents are in poverty. Across Knox County, 20 public schools serve about 5,276 students.
Measured in a straight line, Knox Appalachian School is about 0.8 miles from Knox Central High School. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. On proficiency, Knox Central High School is behind the 62.6% nearby average, ranking 5th of 5.
The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as Rural: Fringe, meaning it is in rural territory close to an urban area.
Enrollment was 720 in 2024-25. In 2020-21, it was 789. Its ratio of students to teachers was 17.5:1 in 2020-21, and 13.8:1 in 2024-25.
This page collects posts and questions about Knox Central High School, such as fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Knox County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
29,865
Census ACS
Median income
$32,527
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
14%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
33%
Below federal line
Schools in county
20
5,276 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Knox County
- Knox County Middle SchoolMiddle · 522 students
- Lynn Camp Elementary SchoolElementary · 501 students
- Lynn Camp Middle High SchoolHigh · 447 students
- Jesse D Lay Elementary SchoolElementary · 325 students
- Central Elementary SchoolElementary · 313 students
- Girdler Elementary SchoolElementary · 267 students
Other schools in Barbourville
- Barbourville City SchoolCombined · 755 students
- Knox County Middle SchoolMiddle · 522 students
- Jesse D Lay Elementary SchoolElementary · 325 students
- Central Elementary SchoolElementary · 313 students
- G R Hampton Elementary SchoolElementary · 244 students
- Knox County Learning AcademyHigh · 52 students
Nearby schools
- Knox Appalachian School0.8 mi · 32
- Central Elementary School1.3 mi · 313
- Jesse D Lay Elementary School2.7 mi · 325
- Knox Inspire Academy3.0 mi · 11
- Knox County Middle School3.2 mi · 522
- Knox County Learning Academy3.3 mi · 52
Frequently asked questions
About Knox Central High SchoolHow many students attend Knox Central High School?
Knox Central High School enrolls approximately 720 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Knox Central High School serve?
Knox Central High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Knox Central High School?
Approximately 13.8:1 students per teacher at Knox Central High School.
What is the student diversity at Knox Central High School?
Student demographics at Knox Central High School are roughly 96% White, 1% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more.
What district is Knox Central High School in?
Knox Central High School is part of Knox County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.