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Schools›Kentucky›Stearns
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MCCREARY COUNTY·NCES 210399001014

McCreary Central High School

400 Raider Way, Stearns, KY 42647 · (606) 376-5051 · McCreary County
GRADES 09–12HIGH43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL711 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 50% 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

Enrollment
711
High
DISTRICT 534 · STATE 558
Student : Teacher
15.8:1
45 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.9:1 · STATE 16.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
78%
552 students
DISTRICT 83% · 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

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 918226%
Grade 1018125%
Grade 1116223%
Grade 1218626%
Student demographics
9%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 9% · STATE 47% · US 70%
White
67895%
DISTRICT 96% · STATE 71% · US 43%
Hispanic
183%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 10% · US 30%
Black
30%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 11% · US 15%
Asian
20%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 2% · US 6%
Two+
101%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 6% · US 5%
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
Male
36351%
Female
34849%

School pathway

Feeds from
McCreary County Middle School06–08
Based on grade levels within McCreary County. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.

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Test scores

KSA (K-PREP) 2024-25 . % Proficient/Distinguished
English Language Arts
48.0%
KY avg 47.9%
Math
39.0%
KY avg 42.8%

What this means: On the KSA (K-PREP), Kentucky's statewide test, about 48 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 · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
34.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.2%
based on KY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-2.0pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 34% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 36% 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 McCreary Central High School

McCreary Central High School's state test result (34.3% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
McCreary Central High School this school71177.6%34.3%
Knox Central High School
Barbourville
72074.6%35.8%
Floyd Central High School
Eastern
53474.7%31.3%
Harlan County High School
Baxter
94581.2%32.0%
Bell County High School
Pineville
62272.8%47.3%
Bath County High School
Owingsville
60473.2%38.3%
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 McCreary Central High School ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn Kentucky
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
34.3%#138 of 211
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
39.0%#120 of 211
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
48.0%#105 of 211
Enrollment
ranked largest first
711#122 of 304
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
15.8:1#79 of 217
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
9.0%#186 of 217
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
77.6%#19 of 230
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-7.1%#80 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 2024-25
Enrollment
711
-132 (-16%) vs 2020
-24% since 1990-91, when it was 941
Student : Teacher
15.8:1
was 18.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-257114515.8:178% (552)
2023-247185114.1:178% (563)
2022-2373448.715.1:178% (570)
2020-218434618.3:177% (653)
2017-1876539.719.3:177% (588)
2015-167484217.8:178% (584)
2010-118204817.1:181% (661)
2000-018665515.8:181% (700)
1990-919415317.8:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for McCreary Central High School.

Since 2017-18: students down 7% (765 to 711); teachers up 13% (39.7 to 45).

About McCreary Central High School

Among the schools in Stearns, Kentucky, is McCreary Central High School, a mid-sized high school. The school covers grades 9 through 12 and reported 711 students in 2024-25. That puts enrollment 27% bigger than the 558-student average for high schools in Kentucky.

Besides McCreary Central High School, McCreary County runs 4 other schools. The district enrolls 2,668 students.

A large majority of enrollment at McCreary Central High School is White, at 95%. The school is also 3% Hispanic. The diversity index for McCreary Central High School is 9%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.

For every teacher at McCreary Central High School, there are about 15.8 students; the school has 45 full-time-equivalent teachers. Statewide, high schools in Kentucky average 16.6:1. The eligibility rate for free or reduced-price meals is 78%.

McCreary Central High School holds a B- allk12 Grade, placing it above 50% of Kentucky public high schools.

Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, McCreary Central High School would be expected to post about 36.2%. Its actual average proficiency rate across its state test results is 34.3%.

Five-year Census Bureau estimates for McCreary County show that median household income comes to about $33,750, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 9% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 33%. The county's public schools total 5, with about 2,668 students.

About 0.2 miles separate McCreary Central High School from the closest public school, McCreary County Middle School. Within five miles are 4 other public schools. The average proficiency across nearby scored schools is 45.9%; McCreary Central High School's is 34.3%, ranking 3rd of 4.

The federal government classifies McCreary Central High School's location as Rural: Remote.

By 2024-25, enrollment had dropped to 711, from 843 in 2020-21. Its ratio of students to teachers was 18.3:1 in 2020-21, and 15.8:1 in 2024-25.

McCreary Central High School has a community page on allk12 for topics such as special education services, counseling, and support programs. You can also rate the school on this page.

McCreary County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
16,867
Census ACS
Median income
$33,750
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
9%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
33%
Below federal line
Schools in county
5
2,668 students

Quick facts

School name
McCreary Central High School
District
McCreary County
Address
400 Raider Way, Stearns, KY 42647
Phone
(606) 376-5051
County
McCreary County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
711
Teachers (FTE)
45
Student–teacher ratio
15.8:1
Free and reduced lunch
552 (78%)
Locale
43-Rural: Remote
NCES ID
210399001014
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in McCreary County
Other schools in Stearns
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About McCreary Central High School
What is the total enrollment at McCreary Central High School?
McCreary Central High School enrolls approximately 711 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does McCreary Central High School serve?
McCreary Central High School serves grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at McCreary Central High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at McCreary Central High School is approximately 15.8:1 (45 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at McCreary Central High School?
Student demographics at McCreary Central High School are roughly 95% White, 3% Hispanic, 0% Black, 0% Asian, 1% Two or more.
What district is McCreary Central High School in?
McCreary Central High School is part of McCreary County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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