Enrollment
273
Elementary
DISTRICT 243 · STATE 421
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CLAY COUNTY·NCES 210123001413
Paces Creek Elementary
1983 S Hwy 421, Manchester, KY 40962 · (606) 598-6333 · Clay County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL273 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 88% of Kentucky public elementary schools
- A-Test 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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
13.5:1
20 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.6:1 · STATE 15.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
87%
237 students
DISTRICT 78% · STATE 63%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 42 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 31 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 47 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 41 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 35 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 41 | 15% |
| Grade 6 | 36 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (42) is 17% larger than its 6th grade class (36).
Student demographics
12%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 7% · 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
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within Clay County. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
KSA (K-PREP) 2024-25 . % Proficient/DistinguishedEnglish Language Arts
57.5%
KY avg 47.9%
Math
54.8%
KY avg 42.8%
What this means: On the KSA (K-PREP), Kentucky's statewide test, about 58 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 55 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
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of KY schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
57.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
32.9%
based on KY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+24.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 58% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 33% typical for Kentucky schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 25 points, placing it in Kentucky's top 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 Paces Creek Elementary
Paces Creek Elementary's state test result (57.6% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paces Creek Elementary this school | 273 | 86.8% | 57.6% |
| Crab Orchard Elementary School Crab Orchard | 266 | 86.8% | 38.4% |
| Girdler Elementary School Girdler | 267 | 86.9% | 41.4% |
| Whitley County North Elementary School Rockholds | 303 | 87.8% | 50.2% |
| Whitley County East Elementary School Williamsburg | 268 | 84.3% | 76.6% |
| Phelps Elementary School Freeburn | 293 | 85.0% | 66.5% |
Matched among Kentucky elementary 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 Paces Creek Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Kentucky | In Clay County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 57.6% | #122 of 669 | #4 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 54.8% | #170 of 668 | #4 of 7 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 57.5% | #201 of 674 | #6 of 7 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 273 | #600 of 744 | #3 of 7 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.5:1 | #150 of 674 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 11.9% | #547 of 674 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 86.8% | #46 of 721 | #1 of 7 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -13.1% | #208 of 437 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary 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
273
-2 (-1%) vs 2020
-34% since 1990-91, when it was 416
Student : Teacher
13.5:1
was 15.3:1
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 | 273 | 20.3 | 13.5:1 | 87% (237) |
| 2023-24 | 267 | 20.1 | 13.3:1 | 88% (236) |
| 2022-23 | 283 | 20.1 | 14.1:1 | 75% (213) |
| 2020-21 | 275 | 18 | 15.3:1 | 74% (204) |
| 2017-18 | 314 | 21 | 14.9:1 | 82% (258) |
| 2015-16 | 315 | 22 | 14.3:1 | 83% (261) |
| 2010-11 | 332 | 26 | 12.8:1 | 84% (280) |
| 2000-01 | 274 | 13 | 21.1:1 | 74% (202) |
| 1990-91 | 416 | 26 | 16.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Paces Creek Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 13% (314 to 273); teachers down 3% (21 to 20.3).
About Paces Creek Elementary
Paces Creek Elementary is a small elementary school based in Manchester, Kentucky. The student body numbers 273 students, from kindergarten through 6. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Kentucky is about 421, so this school runs 35% smaller than that.
Across its 10 schools, Clay County enrolls 2,928 students. Paces Creek Elementary is one of those schools.
Paces Creek Elementary enrolls a student body that is 94% White. Beyond that, enrollment is 3% multiracial and 2% Hispanic. The White share in Clay County as a whole is similar, at about 92%. The chance that two students picked at random at Paces Creek Elementary belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 12%.
The school reported 20.3 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 13.5:1. For comparison, elementary schools in Kentucky average 15.4:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 87%. Compared with the 76% average for public schools in Clay County, the school's rate is higher.
The allk12 Grade for Paces Creek Elementary is A. Compared with Kentucky public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 88% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate on state tests with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. Paces Creek Elementary beats its 32.9% prediction with 57.6%, a top-10% result in Kentucky.
In the county around the school, Clay County, median household income is about $40,900, roughly 16% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 27%. Paces Creek Elementary is among the 11 public schools in Clay County.
The closest other public school is Clay County Middle School, about 1.8 miles away. Around the school, 6 other public schools are within five miles. Among its closest neighbors with test data, Paces Creek Elementary is 3rd of 7 on proficiency.
The school's federal locale classification is Rural: Remote.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment held near 273, starting from 275. The ratio of students to teachers went from 15.3:1 to 13.5:1 over the same years.
Discussion on this page can cover school safety, transportation, and start times. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Clay County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
19,921
Census ACS
Median income
$40,900
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
16%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
27%
Below federal line
Schools in county
11
2,928 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Clay County
- Clay County High SchoolHigh · 762 students
- Manchester Elementary SchoolElementary · 409 students
- Clay County Middle SchoolMiddle · 387 students
- Burning Springs ElementaryElementary · 297 students
- Hacker Elementary SchoolElementary · 244 students
- Goose Rock ElementaryElementary · 231 students
Other schools in Manchester
- Clay County High SchoolHigh · 762 students
- Manchester Elementary SchoolElementary · 409 students
- Clay County Middle SchoolMiddle · 387 students
- Burning Springs ElementaryElementary · 297 students
- Hacker Elementary SchoolElementary · 244 students
- Goose Rock ElementaryElementary · 231 students
Nearby schools
- Clay County Middle School1.8 mi · 387
- Horse Creek Learning Center1.8 mi · 79
- Manchester Elementary School3.1 mi · 409
- Clay County High School3.3 mi · 762
- Hacker Elementary School3.9 mi · 244
- Goose Rock Elementary4.9 mi · 231
Frequently asked questions
About Paces Creek ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Paces Creek Elementary?
Paces Creek Elementary enrolls approximately 273 students in grades KG-06.
Is Paces Creek Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Paces Creek Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-06.
How many teachers does Paces Creek Elementary have?
Paces Creek Elementary employs 20 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.5:1.
How diverse is Paces Creek Elementary?
Paces Creek Elementary reports a student body of 94% White, 2% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Is Paces Creek Elementary public or private?
Paces Creek Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Clay County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.