SW Bluegrass News

There were 2,430 white students enrolled in Garrard County School District schools in the 2022-23 school year, 2.5% less than the previous year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Data showed that Garrard County School District welcomed 2,809 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, white students comprised 86.5% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the district.

Garrard County School District roughly covers five schools within Garrard County and has a main office in Lancaster.

Among the five schools in Garrard County School District, Garrard County High School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 723 students.

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.

Year	Total District Enrollment	Total White Students	White %
2022-23	2,809	2,430	86.5%
2021-22	2,827	2,493	88.2%
2020-21	2,740	2,422	88.4%
2019-20	2,778	2,452	88.3%