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Alumni: what's one memory from West Whitesburg Elementary School that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
462
Elementary
DISTRICT 283 · STATE 421
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LETCHER COUNTY·NCES 210336000903
West Whitesburg Elementary School
330 Park St, Whitesburg, KY 41858 · (606) 633-9538 · Letcher County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL462 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 25% of Kentucky public elementary schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats 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
13.8:1
34 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.2:1 · STATE 15.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
68%
315 students
DISTRICT 69% · STATE 63%
Community
5
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 55 | 12% |
| Kindergarten | 81 | 18% |
| Grade 1 | 72 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 78 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 54 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 76 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 46 | 10% |
This year's kindergarten class (81) is 76% larger than its 5th grade class (46).
Student demographics
6%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 5% · 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
Test scores
KSA (K-PREP) 2024-25 . % Proficient/DistinguishedEnglish Language Arts
43.7%
KY avg 47.9%
Math
26.0%
KY avg 42.8%
What this means: On the KSA (K-PREP), Kentucky's statewide test, about 44 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 26 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
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
34.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
39.7%
based on KY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-4.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 35% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 40% 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 West Whitesburg Elementary School
West Whitesburg Elementary School's state test result (34.9% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Whitesburg Elementary School this school | 462 | 68.2% | 34.9% |
| Lewis County Central Elementary School Vanceburg | 466 | 69.3% | 35.9% |
| Mountain View Elementary Hyden | 435 | 67.6% | 54.9% |
| West Irvine Elementary Irvine | 479 | 68.7% | 30.1% |
| Estill Springs Elementary Irvine | 475 | 69.9% | 39.1% |
| Brodhead Elementary School Brodhead | 493 | 67.7% | 60.3% |
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 West Whitesburg Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 34.9% | #496 of 669 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 26.0% | #586 of 668 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 43.7% | #453 of 674 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 462 | #309 of 744 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.8:1 | #180 of 674 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 6.0% | #629 of 674 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 68.2% | #323 of 721 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -1.1% | #420 of 437 |
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
462
+1 (+0%) vs 2020
-6% since 1990-91, when it was 493
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
was 14.0:1
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 | 462 | 33.6 | 13.8:1 | 68% (315) |
| 2023-24 | 433 | 35.6 | 12.2:1 | 69% (298) |
| 2022-23 | 415 | 35.2 | 11.8:1 | 58% (242) |
| 2020-21 | 461 | 33 | 14.0:1 | 72% (331) |
| 2017-18 | 467 | 30.7 | 15.2:1 | 67% (313) |
| 2015-16 | 492 | 32 | 15.4:1 | 70% (346) |
| 2010-11 | 467 | 28 | 16.7:1 | 63% (296) |
| 2000-01 | 456 | 21 | 21.7:1 | 72% (329) |
| 1990-91 | 493 | 34 | 14.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Whitesburg Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 1% (467 to 462); teachers up 9% (30.7 to 33.6).
About West Whitesburg Elementary School
Families in Whitesburg, Kentucky, are served by West Whitesburg Elementary School, a medium-sized elementary school. Enrolled students number 462 students, in pre-K through 5.
West Whitesburg Elementary School is one of the 9 schools that make up Letcher County (2,429 students in total).
About 97% of the student body at West Whitesburg Elementary School is White. The county population is about 97% White, within a few points of the school. West Whitesburg Elementary School's diversity index is 6%, against a US figure of 70%.
The school reported 33.6 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 13.8:1. The school has fewer students per teacher than the 15.4:1 average for elementary schools in Kentucky. Eligible students account for 68% of enrollment in the free or reduced-price lunch program. For comparison, public schools in Letcher County average 70%.
West Whitesburg Elementary School is graded C by allk12, scoring above 25% of Kentucky public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
The allk12 BeatsExpectations score for West Whitesburg Elementary School is -4.8 points: 34.9% actual, 39.7% predicted.
Within Letcher County, the median household income is $41,793, 13% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 18% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Besides West Whitesburg Elementary School, Letcher County has 10 other public schools.
The closest public school to West Whitesburg Elementary School is Whitesburg Middle School, less than a tenth of a mile away. West Whitesburg Elementary School is one of several public schools in the area, with 4 others within five miles. The school's 34.9% average proficiency ranks 6th among 8 nearby schools.
Its NCES locale code is Rural: Remote: the school is in rural territory far from an urban area.
Enrollment at West Whitesburg Elementary School was 461 in 2020-21 and 462 in 2024-25, a change of less than 3%.
Discussions about West Whitesburg Elementary School may include school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Letcher County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
20,808
Census ACS
Median income
$41,793
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
13%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
18%
Below federal line
Schools in county
11
2,882 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Letcher County
- Letcher County Central High SchoolHigh · 692 students
- Letcher Elementary & Middle SchoolElementary · 322 students
- Martha Jane Potter Elementary SchoolElementary · 273 students
- Cowan Elementary SchoolElementary · 246 students
- Whitesburg Middle SchoolMiddle · 191 students
- Fleming Neon Middle SchoolMiddle · 131 students
Other schools in Whitesburg
- Letcher County Central High SchoolHigh · 692 students
- Martha Jane Potter Elementary SchoolElementary · 273 students
- Cowan Elementary SchoolElementary · 246 students
- Whitesburg Middle SchoolMiddle · 191 students
- Letcher County Alternative Education CtrHigh · 2 students
- Letcher County Area Technology CenterHigh
Nearby schools
- Whitesburg Middle School0.0 mi · 191
- Letcher County Alternative Education Ctr1.7 mi · 2
- Cowan Elementary School1.8 mi · 246
- Letcher County Central High School2.6 mi · 692
- Arlie Boggs Elementary School5.0 mi · 110
- Martha Jane Potter Elementary School5.9 mi · 273
Frequently asked questions
About West Whitesburg Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at West Whitesburg Elementary School?
West Whitesburg Elementary School enrolls approximately 462 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does West Whitesburg Elementary School serve?
West Whitesburg Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at West Whitesburg Elementary School?
Approximately 13.8:1 students per teacher at West Whitesburg Elementary School.
What is the student diversity at West Whitesburg Elementary School?
Student demographics at West Whitesburg Elementary School are roughly 97% White, 1% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Is West Whitesburg Elementary School public or private?
West Whitesburg Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Letcher County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.