Union County

Public school district · Union County · Kentucky · NCES district ID 2105640

Union County spent $15,091 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 83% of the other Kentucky districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $13,912). Its 7 schools enrolled 2,086 students in 2024-25; 60.6% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $14,740 per student, down 2.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 90-94% (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 Union County in enrollment (1,972 to 2,132 students) and Union County itself.

Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Union County, FY23Knott County Schools $17,594; Carroll County Schools $15,315; Union County $15,091; Russell Independent Schools $14,327; Powell County Schools $14,085; Henry County Public Schools $14,044; Jackson County $13,986; Lewis County Schools $13,940; Magoffin County Schools $13,597; Bath County Schools $12,731; State median, 1,000+ students $13,912.10k12k14k16k18kKnott County Schools$17,594Carroll County Schools$15,315Union County$15,091Russell Independent Schools$14,327Powell County Schools$14,085Henry County Public Schools$14,044Jackson County$13,986Lewis County Schools$13,940Magoffin County Schools$13,597Bath County Schools$12,731State median, 1,000+ students $13,912
Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Union County, FY23Knott County Schools $17,594; Carroll County Schools $15,315; Union County $15,091; Russell Independent Schools $14,327; Powell County Schools $14,085; Henry County Public Schools $14,044; Jackson County $13,986; Lewis County Schools $13,940; Magoffin County Schools $13,597; Bath County Schools $12,731; State median, 1,000+ students $13,912.10k12k14k16k18kKnott County Schools$17,594Carroll County Schools$15,315Union County$15,091Russell Independent Schools$14,327Powell County Schools$14,085Henry County Public Schools$14,044Jackson County$13,986Lewis County Schools$13,940Magoffin County Schools$13,597Bath County Schools$12,731State median, 1,000+ students $13,912
Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Union County, FY23Knott County Schools $17,594; Carroll County Schools $15,315; Union County $15,091; Russell Independent Schools $14,327; Powell County Schools $14,085; Henry County Public Schools $14,044; Jackson County $13,986; Lewis County Schools $13,940; Magoffin County Schools $13,597; Bath County Schools $12,731; State median, 1,000+ students $13,912.10k14k18kKnott County Schools$17,594Carroll County Schools$15,315Union County$15,091Russell Independent Schools$14,327Powell County Schools$14,085Henry County Public Schools$14,044Jackson County$13,986Lewis County Schools$13,940Magoffin County Schools$13,597Bath County Schools$12,731State median, 1,000+ students $13,912
Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Union County, FY23Knott County Schools $17,594; Carroll County Schools $15,315; Union County $15,091; Russell Independent Schools $14,327; Powell County Schools $14,085; Henry County Public Schools $14,044; Jackson County $13,986; Lewis County Schools $13,940; Magoffin County Schools $13,597; Bath County Schools $12,731; State median, 1,000+ students $13,912.10k14k18kKnott County Schools$17,594Carroll County Schools$15,315Union County$15,091Russell Independent Schools$14,327Powell County Schools$14,085Henry County Public Schools$14,044Jackson County$13,986Lewis County Schools$13,940Magoffin County Schools$13,597Bath County Schools$12,731State median, 1,000+ students $13,912

Where the money came from

$43,929,000 in revenue: 60.6% state, 25.0% local and 14.4% federal. Total spending including $2,003,000 of capital outlay was $33,587,000, or $16,344 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Union County revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $26,612,000; Local $10,991,000; Federal $6,326,000; total $43,929,000.
  • State$26,612,000 61%
  • Local$10,991,000 25%
  • Federal$6,326,000 14%

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 rose from 2022-23 to 2024-25

2,055 students in 2022-23, 2,058 students in 2023-24, 2,086 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Union County enrollment by school year2022-23: 2,055, 2023-24: 2,058, 2024-25: 2,08601k2k3k2022-232,0552023-242,0582024-252,086
Union County enrollment by school year2022-23: 2,055, 2023-24: 2,058, 2024-25: 2,08601k2k3k2022-232,0552023-242,0582024-252,086
Union County enrollment by school year2022-23: 2,055, 2023-24: 2,058, 2024-25: 2,08601k2k3k2022-232,0552023-242,0582024-252,086
Union County enrollment by school year2022-23: 2,055, 2023-24: 2,058, 2024-25: 2,08601k2k3k2022-232,0552023-242,0582024-252,086

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-232,055151.613.6
2023-242,058146.514.0
2024-252,086139.015.0

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

$8,241,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,010 per student

Union County booked $8,241,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 152 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 $54,375 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 34 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$6,591,00080.0%
Special education$1,297,00015.7%
Vocational$353,0004.3%

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

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,272 in 2018-19, $3,437 in 2019-20, $3,566 in 2020-21, $3,883 in 2021-22, $4,010 in 2022-23.

Union County teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,272, 2019-20: $3,437, 2020-21: $3,566, 2021-22: $3,883, 2022-23: $4,01002k4k6k2018-19$3,2722019-20$3,4372020-21$3,5662021-22$3,8832022-23$4,010
Union County teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,272, 2019-20: $3,437, 2020-21: $3,566, 2021-22: $3,883, 2022-23: $4,01002k4k6k2018-19$3,2722019-20$3,4372020-21$3,5662021-22$3,8832022-23$4,010
Union County teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,272, 2019-20: $3,437, 2020-21: $3,566, 2021-22: $3,883, 2022-23: $4,01002k4k6k2018-19$3,2722019-20$3,4372020-21$3,5662021-22$3,8832022-23$4,010
Union County teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,272, 2019-20: $3,437, 2020-21: $3,566, 2021-22: $3,883, 2022-23: $4,01002k4k6k2018-19$3,2722019-20$3,4372020-21$3,5662021-22$3,8832022-23$4,010

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 Union County scored proficient or above: 35% in reading and 27% 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 arts35%44.7%1,029
Math27%37.8%1,029

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

90-94% of the 119 students in Union County's 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 rate90‑94%91.4%
Students in the class11949,023

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.

3 elementary schools, 870 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Sturgis Elementary School34314.561.8%Schoolwide program
Morganfield Elementary School32810.370.4%Schoolwide program
Uniontown Elementary School19912.854.8%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 middle school, 413 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Union County Middle School41315.655.9%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.

2 high schools, 713 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Union County High School64216.747.2%Not Title I
Union County Learning Academy7135.567.6%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.

1 other school, 90 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Union County Preschool and Headstart9090.071.1%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 Union County

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 Union County

  1. Kentucky districts by spending per studentUnion County ranks 24 of 137 Kentucky districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($15,091).#24 of 137
  2. Every school district in KentuckyUnion County is the number 92 by size of 174 Kentucky districts, with 2,055 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#92 of 174
  3. Knott County SchoolsThe next larger Kentucky district: 2,092 students in fall 2022, $17,594 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$17,594
  4. Jackson CountyThe next smaller Kentucky district: 2,053 students in fall 2022, $13,986 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,986
  5. Compare Union County with Knott County SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Union County High School, its largest high school642 students in 2024-25, 16.7 per teacher.642
  7. Teacher salary spending across KentuckyUnion County spent $54,375 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $56,497); spending, not a salary.$54,375
  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 Union County

  1. How many schools and students are in Union County?
    7 schools were open in 2024-25 (3 elementary, 1 middle, 2 high, 1 other), enrolling 2,086 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Union County spend per student?
    $15,091 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 $14,740 per student, down 2.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Union County's money come from?
    $43,929,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 60.6% state, 25.0% local and 14.4% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Union County live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 327 of the 1,801 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 18.2%, 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 Union County spend on teacher salaries?
    $8,241,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,010 per student. Divided by the 152 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $54,375 per teacher, more than 34 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 Union County do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Union County scored proficient or above: 35% in reading and 27% 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 Union County?
    90-94% of the 119 students in Union County's 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 Union County's NCES district ID?
    2105640. 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 .