Paces Creek Elementary

Paces Creek Elementary operates as a low-enrollment primary school in Manchester, Kentucky, overseen by Clay County. Current enrollment sits at 273 students spanning grades K through 6. Enrollment runs roughly 35% below the state mean of about 421.

Across the 10 schools in Clay County (2,928 students total), Paces Creek Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On the student-mix side, Paces Creek Elementary shows that the student body is overwhelmingly White (94%). Other groups include 3% multiracial, 2% Hispanic. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 20 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 13.5:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.4:1, putting Paces Creek Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 87% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is higher than Clay County's rate of about 76%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Paces Creek Elementary ranks in the top 10% of Kentucky public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 32.9%; Paces Creek Elementary posts 57.6%, +24.8 points above that line.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Clay County indicate median household earnings sit near $40,900, about 16% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 27%. In all, Clay County runs 11 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,928 students), of which Paces Creek Elementary is one.

Nearest neighbor: Clay County Middle School, around 1.8 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 6 other public schools cluster around Paces Creek Elementary. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Paces Creek Elementary at 3rd of 7; the average score across the group is 55.9%.

The campus sits in a countryside setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Paces Creek Elementary's enrollment has declined 13% since 2018, when it stood at 314 (now 273). The White share of enrollment edged down from 98% to 94% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 14.9:1 in 2018 to 13.5:1 today.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.