Phillip Sharp Middle School

As a tight-knit middle school in Butler, Kentucky, Phillip Sharp Middle School educates 420 students from grades 6 through 8, operated by Pendleton County. That puts it 25% below the typical public school in Kentucky, which averages around 558 students.

Within Pendleton County, which oversees 4 schools and 2,130 students, Phillip Sharp Middle School is one campus in the system.

On demographics, Phillip Sharp Middle School lists that nearly all students (96%) are White. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

Looking at school resources, Phillip Sharp Middle School reports 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 16.1:1. That tracks the state average closely. Roughly 56% of students at Phillip Sharp Middle School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

After controlling for student poverty, Phillip Sharp Middle School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 44.2%, the actual is 30.2%, a residual of -14.0 points.

In the broader community, Pendleton County reports that median household income runs about $64,669, roughly 15% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. Across Pendleton County's 4 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,130 students), Phillip Sharp Middle School is one campus in the mix.

Northern Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 3.5 miles from this campus. 2 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Phillip Sharp Middle School at 7th of 9; the average score across the group is 45.0%.

Phillip Sharp Middle School operates from a countryside location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 23%: 544 students in 2018 compared to 420 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 19.1:1 in 2018 to 16.1:1 today.

On the community side, members of the Phillip Sharp Middle School community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.