Carter County Schools

Listed by NCES as Carter County (district ID 2101020)

Public school district · Carter County · Kentucky · NCES district ID 2101020

Carter County Schools spent $12,650 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 85% of the other Kentucky districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $13,912). Its 11 schools enrolled 3,980 students in 2024-25; 78.6% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $12,494 per student, down 1.6% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 99% or more (Kentucky: 91.4%).

Spending per student among Kentucky districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Carter County Schools in enrollment (3,910 to 4,486 students) and Carter County Schools itself.

Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Carter County Schools, FY23Knox County Public Schools $14,730; Bowling Green Independent $14,125; Muhlenberg County Public Schools $13,648; Woodford County Public Schools $13,439; Whitley County Schools $13,081; Graves County Schools $12,902; Grayson County $12,707; Carter County Schools $12,650; Montgomery County Schools $12,347; Ohio County Schools $11,933; State median, 1,000+ students $13,912.10k12k14k16kKnox County Public Schools$14,730Bowling Green Independent$14,125Muhlenberg County Public Schoo…$13,648Woodford County Public Schools$13,439Whitley County Schools$13,081Graves County Schools$12,902Grayson County$12,707Carter County Schools$12,650Montgomery County Schools$12,347Ohio County Schools$11,933State median, 1,000+ students $13,912
Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Carter County Schools, FY23Knox County Public Schools $14,730; Bowling Green Independent $14,125; Muhlenberg County Public Schools $13,648; Woodford County Public Schools $13,439; Whitley County Schools $13,081; Graves County Schools $12,902; Grayson County $12,707; Carter County Schools $12,650; Montgomery County Schools $12,347; Ohio County Schools $11,933; State median, 1,000+ students $13,912.10k12k14k16kKnox County Public Schools$14,730Bowling Green Independent$14,125Muhlenberg County Public Schools$13,648Woodford County Public Schools$13,439Whitley County Schools$13,081Graves County Schools$12,902Grayson County$12,707Carter County Schools$12,650Montgomery County Schools$12,347Ohio County Schools$11,933State median, 1,000+ students $13,912
Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Carter County Schools, FY23Knox County Public Schools $14,730; Bowling Green Independent $14,125; Muhlenberg County Public Schools $13,648; Woodford County Public Schools $13,439; Whitley County Schools $13,081; Graves County Schools $12,902; Grayson County $12,707; Carter County Schools $12,650; Montgomery County Schools $12,347; Ohio County Schools $11,933; State median, 1,000+ students $13,912.10k12k14k16kKnox County Public Schools$14,730Bowling Green Independent$14,125Muhlenberg County Public Schools$13,648Woodford County Public Schools$13,439Whitley County Schools$13,081Graves County Schools$12,902Grayson County$12,707Carter County Schools$12,650Montgomery County Schools$12,347Ohio County Schools$11,933State median, 1,000+ students $13,912
Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Carter County Schools, FY23Knox County Public Schools $14,730; Bowling Green Independent $14,125; Muhlenberg County Public Schools $13,648; Woodford County Public Schools $13,439; Whitley County Schools $13,081; Graves County Schools $12,902; Grayson County $12,707; Carter County Schools $12,650; Montgomery County Schools $12,347; Ohio County Schools $11,933; State median, 1,000+ students $13,912.10k12k14k16kKnox County Public Schools$14,730Bowling Green Independent$14,125Muhlenberg County Public Schools$13,648Woodford County Public Schools$13,439Whitley County Schools$13,081Graves County Schools$12,902Grayson County$12,707Carter County Schools$12,650Montgomery County Schools$12,347Ohio County Schools$11,933State median, 1,000+ students $13,912

Where the money came from

$95,734,000 in revenue: 78.6% state, 11.2% local and 10.3% federal. Total spending including $1,397,000 of capital outlay was $55,304,000, or $13,365 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Carter County Schools revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $75,204,000; Local $10,713,000; Federal $9,817,000; total $95,734,000.
  • State$75,204,000 79%
  • Local$10,713,000 11%
  • Federal$9,817,000 10%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 137 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

4,137 students in 2022-23, 4,078 students in 2023-24, 3,980 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Carter County Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 4,137, 2023-24: 4,078, 2024-25: 3,98002k4k6k2022-234,1372023-244,0782024-253,980
Carter County Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 4,137, 2023-24: 4,078, 2024-25: 3,98002k4k6k2022-234,1372023-244,0782024-253,980
Carter County Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 4,137, 2023-24: 4,078, 2024-25: 3,98002k4k6k2022-234,1372023-244,0782024-253,980
Carter County Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 4,137, 2023-24: 4,078, 2024-25: 3,98002k4k6k2022-234,1372023-244,0782024-253,980

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-234,137255.816.2
2023-244,078251.116.2
2024-253,980240.916.5

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$14,691,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,550 per student

Carter County Schools booked $14,691,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 259 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $56,775 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 51 in 100 Kentucky districts with a figure (state median $56,497, 171 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Kentucky teacher salary at $54,574 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$10,768,00073.3%
Special education$3,083,00021.0%
Vocational$532,0003.6%
Other programs$308,0002.1%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,242 in 2018-19, $3,269 in 2019-20, $3,321 in 2020-21, $3,588 in 2021-22, $3,550 in 2022-23.

Carter County Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,242, 2019-20: $3,269, 2020-21: $3,321, 2021-22: $3,588, 2022-23: $3,55001k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2422019-20$3,2692020-21$3,3212021-22$3,5882022-23$3,550
Carter County Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,242, 2019-20: $3,269, 2020-21: $3,321, 2021-22: $3,588, 2022-23: $3,55001k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2422019-20$3,2692020-21$3,3212021-22$3,5882022-23$3,550
Carter County Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,242, 2019-20: $3,269, 2020-21: $3,321, 2021-22: $3,588, 2022-23: $3,55001k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2422019-20$3,2692020-21$3,3212021-22$3,5882022-23$3,550
Carter County Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,242, 2019-20: $3,269, 2020-21: $3,321, 2021-22: $3,588, 2022-23: $3,55001k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2422019-20$3,2692020-21$3,3212021-22$3,5882022-23$3,550

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Carter County Schools scored proficient or above: 47% in reading and 39% in math, against 44.7% in reading and 37.8% in math across Kentucky. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Kentucky, not across states.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtKentuckyStudents tested
Reading and language arts47%44.7%2,073
Math39%37.8%2,072

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

99% or more of the 296 students in Carter County Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 91.4% across Kentucky. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtKentucky
Four-year graduation rate99% or more91.4%
Students in the class29649,023

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

6 elementary schools, 1,867 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Prichard Elementary School61215.562.9%Schoolwide program
Olive Hill Elementary School36012.961.7%Schoolwide program
Heritage Elementary School33615.074.1%Schoolwide program
Tygart Creek Elementary School31813.670.1%Schoolwide program
Star Elementary School12415.548.4%Schoolwide program
Carter City Elementary School11712.362.4%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

2 middle schools, 882 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
East Carter Middle School49020.661.6%Schoolwide program
West Carter Middle School39218.967.3%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

2 high schools, 1,184 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
East Carter County High School67818.655.2%Schoolwide program
West Carter County High School50617.956.7%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 other school, 47 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Carter Virtual Academy4747.076.6%Not Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

Contact Carter County Schools

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Carter County Schools

  1. Kentucky districts by spending per studentCarter County Schools ranks 117 of 137 Kentucky districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($12,650).#117 of 137
  2. Every school district in KentuckyCarter County Schools is the number 34 by size of 174 Kentucky districts, with 4,138 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#34 of 174
  3. Whitley County SchoolsThe next larger Kentucky district: 4,336 students in fall 2022, $13,081 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,081
  4. Grayson CountyThe next smaller Kentucky district: 4,039 students in fall 2022, $12,707 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$12,707
  5. Compare Carter County Schools with Whitley County SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. East Carter County High School, its largest high school678 students in 2024-25, 18.6 per teacher.678
  7. Teacher salary spending across KentuckyCarter County Schools spent $56,775 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $56,497); spending, not a salary.$56,775
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Carter County Schools

  1. How many schools and students are in Carter County Schools?
    11 schools were open in 2024-25 (6 elementary, 2 middle, 2 high, 1 other), enrolling 3,980 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Carter County Schools spend per student?
    $12,650 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Kentucky median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $13,912 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $12,494 per student, down 1.6% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Carter County Schools' money come from?
    $95,734,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 78.6% state, 11.2% local and 10.3% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Carter County Schools live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 947 of the 4,391 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 21.6%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Carter County Schools spend on teacher salaries?
    $14,691,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,550 per student. Divided by the 259 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $56,775 per teacher, more than 51 in 100 Kentucky districts (state median $56,497). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Kentucky teacher salary at $54,574 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Carter County Schools do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Carter County Schools scored proficient or above: 47% in reading and 39% in math, against 44.7% in reading and 37.8% in math across Kentucky. Kentucky's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Carter County Schools?
    99% or more of the 296 students in Carter County Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 91.4% across Kentucky. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Carter County Schools' NCES district ID?
    2101020. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25