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What's one thing McCracken County High School gets right about preparing students for what comes next?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,882
High
DISTRICT 522 · STATE 558
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MCCRACKEN COUNTY·NCES 210396002332
McCracken County High School
6530 NEW US HWY 60 W, Paducah, KY 42001 · (270) 538-4300 · McCracken County
GRADES 09–12HIGH41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,882 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 95% of Kentucky public high schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats 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
18.3:1
103 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.4:1 · STATE 16.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
46%
863 students
DISTRICT 55% · 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 | 528 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 483 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 452 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 416 | 22% |
| Ungraded | 3 | 0% |
Student demographics
31%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 35% · 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
Based on grade levels within McCracken County. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
KSA (K-PREP) 2024-25 . % Proficient/DistinguishedEnglish Language Arts
69.0%
KY avg 47.9%
Math
53.0%
KY avg 42.8%
What this means: On the KSA (K-PREP), Kentucky's statewide test, about 69 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 53 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
53.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.0%
based on KY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+5.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 53% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 48% 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 McCracken County High School
McCracken County High School's state test result (53.3% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| McCracken County High School this school | 1,882 | 45.9% | 53.3% |
| Daviess County High School Owensboro | 1,750 | 47.1% | 37.5% |
| Madison Central High School Richmond | 2,107 | 49.3% | 47.0% |
| West Jessamine High School Nicholasville | 1,272 | 45.3% | 42.5% |
| Henderson County High School Henderson | 1,852 | 43.6% | 50.3% |
| Campbell County High School Alexandria | 1,519 | 40.4% | 45.8% |
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 McCracken County High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 53.3% | #16 of 211 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 53.0% | #39 of 211 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 69.0% | #8 of 211 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,882 | #10 of 304 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.3:1 | #162 of 217 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 31.2% | #97 of 217 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 45.9% | #183 of 230 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -7.3% | #75 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
1,882
-148 (-7%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
18.3:1
was 18.4:1
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 | 1,882 | 102.6 | 18.3:1 | 46% (863) |
| 2023-24 | 1,958 | 108.1 | 18.1:1 | 49% (967) |
| 2022-23 | 1,999 | 106.6 | 18.8:1 | 43% (867) |
| 2020-21 | 2,030 | 110 | 18.4:1 | 40% (803) |
| 2017-18 | 2,030 | 112.2 | 18.1:1 | 41% (825) |
| 2015-16 | 1,972 | 113 | 17.4:1 | 40% (793) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for McCracken County High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 7% (2,030 to 1,882); teachers down 9% (112.2 to 102.6).
About McCracken County High School
McCracken County High School is a public high-enrollment high school in Paducah, Kentucky. Enrollment stands at 1,882 students, covering grades 9 through 12. It has 237% more students than the average for high schools in Kentucky (about 558).
McCracken County has 13 schools; together they serve 6,780 students.
The share of White students at McCracken County High School is 82%. Other groups make up 6% Hispanic, 5% Black, 4% multiracial, and 2% Asian. In McCracken County overall, the White share is about 82%. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 31%.
On staff are 102.6 full-time-equivalent teachers; the student-to-teacher ratio is 18.3:1. Statewide, high schools in Kentucky average 16.6:1. McCracken County High School has a free or reduced-price lunch rate of 46%. Public schools in McCracken County average 57%.
On the allk12 Grade, McCracken County High School lands at A+, ahead of 95% of Kentucky public high schools.
McCracken County High School is 5.3 points above its predicted average proficiency rate across its state test results (53.3% versus 48.0%), which places it in neither the top nor the bottom 10% in Kentucky.
Five-year Census Bureau estimates for McCracken County show that median household income comes to about $64,373, roughly 29% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. McCracken County counts 22 public schools with about 9,883 students.
Concord Elementary School is about 2.2 miles away, making it the nearest public school. McCracken County High School is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts McCracken County High School at 5th of 7.
NCES assigns McCracken County High School the locale Rural: Fringe, meaning in rural territory close to an urban area.
Enrollment was 1,882 in 2024-25. In 2020-21, it was 2,030.
Use the discussion section to ask about homework, tutoring, and testing dates at McCracken County High School. You can also rate the school on this page.
McCracken County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
67,564
Census ACS
Median income
$64,373
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
29%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
22
9,883 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in McCracken County
- Lone Oak Middle SchoolMiddle · 702 students
- Concord Elementary SchoolElementary · 606 students
- Reidland Elementary SchoolElementary · 548 students
- Heath Elementary SchoolElementary · 498 students
- Hendron Lone Oak Elementary SchoolElementary · 498 students
- Lone Oak Elementary SchoolElementary · 495 students
Other schools in Paducah
- Paducah Tilghman High SchoolHigh · 860 students
- Lone Oak Middle SchoolMiddle · 702 students
- Paducah Middle SchoolMiddle · 632 students
- Clark Elementary SchoolElementary · 615 students
- Concord Elementary SchoolElementary · 606 students
- Reidland Elementary SchoolElementary · 548 students
Nearby schools
- Concord Elementary School2.2 mi · 606
- McCracken Open Campus School3.3 mi · 72
- Heath Middle School3.4 mi · 433
- Heath Elementary School3.5 mi · 498
- McCracken Regional School3.8 mi · 31
- Lone Oak Elementary School4.2 mi · 495
Frequently asked questions
About McCracken County High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at McCracken County High School?
McCracken County High School enrolls approximately 1,882 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does McCracken County High School serve?
McCracken County High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at McCracken County High School?
Approximately 18.3:1 students per teacher at McCracken County High School.
How diverse is McCracken County High School?
McCracken County High School reports a student body of 82% White, 6% Hispanic, 5% Black, 2% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees McCracken County High School?
McCracken County High School is overseen by McCracken County in McCracken County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.