Yellow Creek School Center

As a middle-of-the-pack elementary-level community in Middlesboro, Kentucky, Yellow Creek School Center caters to 575 students from grades pre-K through 8, operated by Bell County. Enrollment runs roughly 37% larger than the state mean of about 421.

Within Bell County, which oversees 7 schools and 2,436 students, Yellow Creek School Center is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Yellow Creek School Center reports that nearly all students (95%) are White. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Yellow Creek School Center reports 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 16.2:1. The state averages around 15.4:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Around 85% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Yellow Creek School Center 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 33.6%; Yellow Creek School Center posts 54.8%, +21.3 points above that line.

In the area at large, census data for Bell County shows the typical household earns roughly $31,354 per year, 16% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 25% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Yellow Creek School Center is one of 18 public schools in Bell County (combined enrollment of about 4,135 students).

Nearest neighbor: Middlesboro High School, around 0.6 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 5 other public schools cluster around Yellow Creek School Center. Among the 4 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Yellow Creek School Center ranks 1st on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 37.2%.

The school occupies a town-center site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Yellow Creek School Center has decreased 8%, going from 627 students in 2018 to 575 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 19.3:1 in 2018 to 16.2:1 today.

On the community side, members of the Yellow Creek School Center community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.