SW Bluegrass News

Mercer County Elementary School had the highest enrollment among Mercer County schools, welcoming 847 students during the 2022-23 school year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2022-23 school year, 52.7% of them were boys, and 47.3% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 83.9% of Mercer County Elementary School's total enrollment.

Among the seven schools in Mercer County, Mercer County Senior High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 846 students, while Mercer County Intermediate School welcomed 686 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

Mercer County Elementary School is part of Mercer County School District, which roughly covers schools within Mercer County and has a main office in Harrodsburg.

In the previous school year, Mercer County Elementary School also had the highest number of students among Mercer County schools.

Kentucky is in the midst of a statewide teacher shortage as turnover rates spiked to 10.9% in 2023, up from an 8.9% nine-year average. This issue is more prominent in schools with more low-income and minority students.

Data also shows that between 2019 and 2023, there was an increase of 260% in the number of available teaching posts in Kentucky schools. This often leads to larger class sizes, combining programs, and retaining staff despite potential negative impacts on teacher working conditions.

School name	City	Total School Enrollment
Mercer County Elementary School	Harrodsburg	847
Mercer County Senior High School	Harrodsburg	846
Mercer County Intermediate School	Harrodsburg	686
Kenneth D. King Middle School	Harrodsburg	624
Burgin Independent School	Burgin	579
Mercer Central	Harrodsburg	32
Mercer County Day Treatment	Harrodsburg	21