Perry County

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Hazard, Kentucky - 10 schools

An equity score of 68/100 ranks Perry County #38 of 171 districts in Kentucky (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $14,112 per pupil, Perry County ranks #37 of 171 Kentucky districts by per-pupil spending (Kentucky districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

3,593
Total Enrollment
10
Schools
$14,112
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Perry County operates 10 public schools serving 3,593 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Kentucky. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 combined, 2 high, 2 elementary schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Perry County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,112 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 171 Kentucky districts by per-pupil spending. See how Kentucky compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 14.3% local, 61.0% state, and 24.7% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 68/100, ranked #38 of 171 in Kentucky against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

a 409.5:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 52.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 95.7% White, 1.6% African American, 1.5% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Learning Academy, with a diversity index of 22.8/100.

Its largest campus is Perry County Central High School, enrolling 819 students (23% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Perry County Alternative School, at 7 students, a 117x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Perry County Central High School accounts for 22.8% of all Perry County student enrollment

That concentration means Perry County-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Perry County school enrollment varies 117× across entities

Perry County school enrollment ranges from 7 students (lowest) to 819 students (highest), a spread of 812 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Perry County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 73.2% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch

free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Perry County student-counselor ratio is 410:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Perry County chronic absenteeism rate is 52.3% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

24.7%
Federal
61.0%
State
14.3%
Local

Funding Equity

68
Equity Score
38 / 171
State Rank
50
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 10 schools in Perry County.

White 95.7%
Hispanic or Latino 1.5%
African American 1.6%
Multiracial 1.0%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 8.1/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Perry County's schools, below the Kentucky average of 34.5.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Learning Academy 22.8
  2. 2 East Perry County Elementary School 13.4
  3. 3 West Perry Elementary School 8.4
  4. 4 Robinson Elementary School 8.3
  5. 5 Perry County Central High School 7.8

Programs & Resources

409.5:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
52.3%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Perry County

School Enrollment
Perry County Central High School
819
West Perry Elementary School
743
East Perry County Elementary School
603
Robert W Combs Elementary School
325
Buckhorn School
320
Viper Elementary School
282
Robinson Elementary School
278
Leatherwood Elementary School
102
Learning Academy
39
Perry County Alternative School
7

How Perry County Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Kentucky districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Covington Independent Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Harlan County Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Grant County Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Anderson County Similar size Lower spending More locally funded
Logan County Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to Perry County's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Kentucky

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Jefferson County
95,230 students · 168 schools · $17,376/pupil
Compare vs Perry County →
Fayette County
41,422 students · 80 schools · $15,849/pupil
Compare vs Perry County →
Boone County
20,200 students · 28 schools · $12,899/pupil
Compare vs Perry County →
Warren County
17,799 students · 34 schools · $11,423/pupil
Compare vs Perry County →
Hardin County
14,675 students · 26 schools · $11,904/pupil
Compare vs Perry County →

Compare Perry County

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Jefferson County →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Perry County?

Perry County has 10 schools, including 2 high, 6 combined, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 3,593 students.

How much does Perry County spend per student?

Perry County spends $14,112 per student. The district has an equity score of 68/100, ranking #38 in Kentucky.

What is the demographic composition of Perry County?

Perry County students are 95.7% White, 1.6% African American, 1.5% Hispanic or Latino, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 10 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Perry County?

Perry County has an equity score of 68/100, ranking #38 out of 171 districts in Kentucky.