Harlan Independent Schools

Listed by NCES as Harlan Independent (district ID 2102520)

Public school district · Harlan County · Kentucky · NCES district ID 2102520

Harlan Independent Schools spent $12,385 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 88% of the other Kentucky districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $14,740). Its 3 schools enrolled 900 students in 2024-25; 70.1% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $11,213 per student, down 9.5% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 70-79% (Kentucky: 91.4%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among Kentucky districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Harlan Independent Schools in enrollment (754 to 907 students) and Harlan Independent Schools itself.

Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Harlan Independent Schools, FY23Owsley County $18,702; Dayton Independent $16,758; Ludlow Independent $15,569; Paris Independent $15,541; Paintsville Independent $15,375; Williamstown Independent Schools $13,540; Carlisle County $13,515; Lee County $13,311; Williamsburg Independent $13,129; Harlan Independent Schools $12,385; State median, under 1,000 students $14,740.10k12.5k15k17.5k20kOwsley County$18,702Dayton Independent$16,758Ludlow Independent$15,569Paris Independent$15,541Paintsville Independent$15,375Williamstown Independent Schoo…$13,540Carlisle County$13,515Lee County$13,311Williamsburg Independent$13,129Harlan Independent Schools$12,385State median, under 1,000 students $14,740
Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Harlan Independent Schools, FY23Owsley County $18,702; Dayton Independent $16,758; Ludlow Independent $15,569; Paris Independent $15,541; Paintsville Independent $15,375; Williamstown Independent Schools $13,540; Carlisle County $13,515; Lee County $13,311; Williamsburg Independent $13,129; Harlan Independent Schools $12,385; State median, under 1,000 students $14,740.10k12.5k15k17.5k20kOwsley County$18,702Dayton Independent$16,758Ludlow Independent$15,569Paris Independent$15,541Paintsville Independent$15,375Williamstown Independent Schools$13,540Carlisle County$13,515Lee County$13,311Williamsburg Independent$13,129Harlan Independent Schools$12,385State median, under 1,000 students $14,740
Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Harlan Independent Schools, FY23Owsley County $18,702; Dayton Independent $16,758; Ludlow Independent $15,569; Paris Independent $15,541; Paintsville Independent $15,375; Williamstown Independent Schools $13,540; Carlisle County $13,515; Lee County $13,311; Williamsburg Independent $13,129; Harlan Independent Schools $12,385; State median, under 1,000 students $14,740.10k15k20kOwsley County$18,702Dayton Independent$16,758Ludlow Independent$15,569Paris Independent$15,541Paintsville Independent$15,375Williamstown Independent Schools$13,540Carlisle County$13,515Lee County$13,311Williamsburg Independent$13,129Harlan Independent Schools$12,385State median, under 1,000 students $14,740
Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Harlan Independent Schools, FY23Owsley County $18,702; Dayton Independent $16,758; Ludlow Independent $15,569; Paris Independent $15,541; Paintsville Independent $15,375; Williamstown Independent Schools $13,540; Carlisle County $13,515; Lee County $13,311; Williamsburg Independent $13,129; Harlan Independent Schools $12,385; State median, under 1,000 students $14,740.10k15k20kOwsley County$18,702Dayton Independent$16,758Ludlow Independent$15,569Paris Independent$15,541Paintsville Independent$15,375Williamstown Independent Schools$13,540Carlisle County$13,515Lee County$13,311Williamsburg Independent$13,129Harlan Independent Schools$12,385State median, under 1,000 students $14,740

Where the money came from

$13,680,000 in revenue: 70.1% state, 10.2% local and 19.8% federal. Total spending including $1,688,000 of capital outlay was $12,608,000, or $15,209 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Harlan Independent Schools revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $9,585,000; Local $1,393,000; Federal $2,702,000; total $13,680,000.
  • State$9,585,000 70%
  • Local$1,393,000 10%
  • Federal$2,702,000 20%

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 34 districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment rose from 2022-23 to 2024-25

829 students in 2022-23, 920 students in 2023-24, 900 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Harlan Independent Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 829, 2023-24: 920, 2024-25: 90002505007501k2022-238292023-249202024-25900
Harlan Independent Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 829, 2023-24: 920, 2024-25: 90002505007501k2022-238292023-249202024-25900
Harlan Independent Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 829, 2023-24: 920, 2024-25: 90002505007501k2022-238292023-249202024-25900
Harlan Independent Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 829, 2023-24: 920, 2024-25: 90002505007501k2022-238292023-249202024-25900

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2382950.216.5
2023-2492050.218.3
2024-2590050.317.9

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

$2,601,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,138 per student

Harlan Independent Schools booked $2,601,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 50 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 $51,844 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 18 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$2,242,00086.2%
Special education$333,00012.8%
Other programs$26,0001.0%

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

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,123 in 2018-19, $3,148 in 2019-20, $3,228 in 2020-21, $3,244 in 2021-22, $3,138 in 2022-23.

Harlan Independent Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,123, 2019-20: $3,148, 2020-21: $3,228, 2021-22: $3,244, 2022-23: $3,13801k2k3k4k2018-19$3,1232019-20$3,1482020-21$3,2282021-22$3,2442022-23$3,138
Harlan Independent Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,123, 2019-20: $3,148, 2020-21: $3,228, 2021-22: $3,244, 2022-23: $3,13801k2k3k4k2018-19$3,1232019-20$3,1482020-21$3,2282021-22$3,2442022-23$3,138
Harlan Independent Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,123, 2019-20: $3,148, 2020-21: $3,228, 2021-22: $3,244, 2022-23: $3,13801k2k3k4k2018-19$3,1232019-20$3,1482020-21$3,2282021-22$3,2442022-23$3,138
Harlan Independent Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,123, 2019-20: $3,148, 2020-21: $3,228, 2021-22: $3,244, 2022-23: $3,13801k2k3k4k2018-19$3,1232019-20$3,1482020-21$3,2282021-22$3,2442022-23$3,138

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 Harlan Independent Schools scored proficient or above: 57% in reading and 41% 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 arts57%44.7%347
Math41%37.8%347

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

70-79% of the 39 students in Harlan Independent 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 rate70‑79%91.4%
Students in the class3949,023

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.

1 elementary school, 335 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Harlan Elementary School33514.861.2%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 high school, 455 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Harlan High School45517.054.9%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, 110 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Sunshine School110not reported53.6%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 Harlan Independent 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 Harlan Independent Schools

  1. Kentucky districts by spending per studentHarlan Independent Schools ranks 30 of 34 Kentucky districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($12,385).#30 of 34
  2. Every school district in KentuckyHarlan Independent Schools is the number 147 by size of 174 Kentucky districts, with 829 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#147 of 174
  3. Williamsburg IndependentThe next larger Kentucky district: 835 students in fall 2022, $13,129 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,129
  4. Ludlow IndependentThe next smaller Kentucky district: 828 students in fall 2022, $15,569 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$15,569
  5. Compare Harlan Independent Schools with Williamsburg IndependentEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Harlan High School, its largest high school455 students in 2024-25, 17.0 per teacher.455
  7. Teacher salary spending across KentuckyHarlan Independent Schools spent $51,844 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $56,497); spending, not a salary.$51,844
  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 Harlan Independent Schools

  1. How many schools and students are in Harlan Independent Schools?
    3 schools were open in 2024-25 (1 elementary, 1 high, 1 other), enrolling 900 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Harlan Independent Schools spend per student?
    $12,385 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 fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $14,740 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $11,213 per student, down 9.5% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Harlan Independent Schools' money come from?
    $13,680,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 70.1% state, 10.2% local and 19.8% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Harlan Independent Schools live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 194 of the 491 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 39.5%, 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 Harlan Independent Schools spend on teacher salaries?
    $2,601,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,138 per student. Divided by the 50 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $51,844 per teacher, more than 18 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 Harlan Independent Schools do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Harlan Independent Schools scored proficient or above: 57% in reading and 41% 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 Harlan Independent Schools?
    70-79% of the 39 students in Harlan Independent 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 Harlan Independent Schools' NCES district ID?
    2102520. 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

Compiled from official source data by .