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Schools›Kentucky›Bardstown
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NELSON COUNTY·NCES 210441002324

Thomas Nelson High School

150 Generals Blvd, Bardstown, KY 40004 · (502) 349-4650 · Nelson County
GRADES 09–12HIGH41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL629 STUDENTS
Enrollment
629
High
DISTRICT 467 · STATE 558
Student : Teacher
19.4:1
33 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.3:1 · STATE 16.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
44%
276 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

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 915825%
Grade 1016126%
Grade 1115525%
Grade 1215525%
Student demographics
12%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 19% · STATE 47% · US 70%
White
59194%
DISTRICT 90% · STATE 71% · US 43%
Hispanic
183%
DISTRICT 4% · STATE 10% · US 30%
Black
81%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 11% · US 15%
Asian
20%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 2% · US 6%
Two+
102%
DISTRICT 4% · 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
33353%
Female
29647%

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Test scores

KSA (K-PREP) 2024-25 . % Proficient/Distinguished
English Language Arts
47.0%
KY avg 47.9%
Math
36.0%
KY avg 42.8%

What this means: On the KSA (K-PREP), Kentucky's statewide test, about 47 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 36 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
35.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.7%
based on KY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-13.7pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 35% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 49% 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 Thomas Nelson High School

Thomas Nelson High School's state test result (35.0% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Thomas Nelson High School this school62943.9%35.0%
Hancock County High School
Lewisport
46141.6%41.8%
Boyle County High School
Danville
86945.2%53.3%
Russell High School
Russell
61539.5%45.3%
Harrison County High School
Cynthiana
88146.8%32.8%
Raceland-Worthington High School
Raceland
38745.5%34.8%
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 Thomas Nelson High School ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn Kentucky
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
35.0%#131 of 211
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
36.0%#139 of 211
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
47.0%#115 of 211
Enrollment
ranked largest first
629#135 of 304
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
19.4:1#189 of 217
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
11.6%#174 of 217
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
43.9%#191 of 230
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-7.2%#77 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
629
-69 (-10%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
19.4:1
was 23.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2562932.519.4:144% (276)
2023-246432922.2:142% (270)
2022-236693220.9:138% (255)
2020-216983023.3:142% (294)
2017-1867831.121.8:143% (294)
2015-167203123.2:146% (333)
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Thomas Nelson High School.

Since 2017-18: students down 7% (678 to 629); teachers up 4% (31.1 to 32.5).

About Thomas Nelson High School

Families in Bardstown, Kentucky, are served by Thomas Nelson High School, a mid-sized high school. The school runs grades 9 through 12 and enrolls 629 students.

The 12 schools of Nelson County, including Thomas Nelson High School, enroll 4,178 students.

White students are 94% of those enrolled at Thomas Nelson High School. Beyond that, enrollment is 3% Hispanic. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 12, compared with 70 nationally.

With 32.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, the student-to-teacher ratio is about 19.4:1. Statewide, high schools in Kentucky average 16.6:1. Roughly 44% of students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. For comparison, public schools in Nelson County average 53%.

Based on its free or reduced-price lunch share, the BeatsExpectations model predicts an average proficiency rate across its state test results of 48.7% for Thomas Nelson High School. The school posts 35.0%, 13.7 points below the prediction.

In Nelson County, home to about 47,606 people, the median household earns about $69,562 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 24% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 9%. Thomas Nelson High School shares Nelson County with 19 other public schools.

Straight-line distance to the nearest public school, Bardstown Alternative School, is about 2.0 miles. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. Ranked by average proficiency, Thomas Nelson High School places 5th out of 5 schools in its immediate area.

NCES describes the area around Thomas Nelson High School as Rural: Fringe, meaning in rural territory close to an urban area.

Enrollment was 629 in 2024-25. In 2020-21, it was 698. The ratio of students to teachers went from 23.3:1 to 19.4:1 over the same years.

Parents, students, and staff can share information on pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback here. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.

Nelson County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
47,606
Census ACS
Median income
$69,562
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
20
7,047 students

Quick facts

School name
Thomas Nelson High School
District
Nelson County
Address
150 Generals Blvd, Bardstown, KY 40004
Phone
(502) 349-4650
County
Nelson County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
629
Teachers (FTE)
33
Student–teacher ratio
19.4:1
Free and reduced lunch
276 (44%)
Locale
41-Rural: Fringe
NCES ID
210441002324
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Nelson County
Other schools in Bardstown
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Thomas Nelson High School
How many students attend Thomas Nelson High School?
Thomas Nelson High School enrolls approximately 629 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Thomas Nelson High School serve?
Thomas Nelson High School serves grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas Nelson High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Thomas Nelson High School is approximately 19.4:1 (33 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Thomas Nelson High School?
Thomas Nelson High School reports a student body of 94% White, 3% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Asian, 2% Two or more.
Who oversees Thomas Nelson High School?
Thomas Nelson High School is overseen by Nelson County in Nelson County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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