Knox County Public Schools

Listed by NCES as Knox County (district ID 2103150)

Public school district · Knox County · Kentucky · NCES district ID 2103150

Knox County Public Schools spent $14,730 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 79% of the other Kentucky districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $13,912). Its 13 schools enrolled 3,717 students in 2024-25; 62.8% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $16,392 per student, up 11.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 88% (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 Knox County Public Schools in enrollment (3,593 to 4,336 students) and Knox County Public Schools itself.

Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Knox County Public Schools, FY23Covington Independent Public Schools $16,918; Perry County $15,812; Knox County Public Schools $14,730; 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; Anderson County Schools $12,208; Ohio County Schools $11,933; State median, 1,000+ students $13,912.10k12k14k16k18kCovington Independent Public S…$16,918Perry County$15,812Knox County Public Schools$14,730Woodford County Public Schools$13,439Whitley County Schools$13,081Graves County Schools$12,902Grayson County$12,707Carter County Schools$12,650Anderson County Schools$12,208Ohio County Schools$11,933State median, 1,000+ students $13,912
Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Knox County Public Schools, FY23Covington Independent Public Schools $16,918; Perry County $15,812; Knox County Public Schools $14,730; 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; Anderson County Schools $12,208; Ohio County Schools $11,933; State median, 1,000+ students $13,912.10k12k14k16k18kCovington Independent Public Schools$16,918Perry County$15,812Knox County Public Schools$14,730Woodford County Public Schools$13,439Whitley County Schools$13,081Graves County Schools$12,902Grayson County$12,707Carter County Schools$12,650Anderson County Schools$12,208Ohio County Schools$11,933State median, 1,000+ students $13,912
Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Knox County Public Schools, FY23Covington Independent Public Schools $16,918; Perry County $15,812; Knox County Public Schools $14,730; 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; Anderson County Schools $12,208; Ohio County Schools $11,933; State median, 1,000+ students $13,912.10k14k18kCovington Independent Public Schools$16,918Perry County$15,812Knox County Public Schools$14,730Woodford County Public Schools$13,439Whitley County Schools$13,081Graves County Schools$12,902Grayson County$12,707Carter County Schools$12,650Anderson County Schools$12,208Ohio County Schools$11,933State median, 1,000+ students $13,912
Current spending per student, Kentucky districts closest in size to Knox County Public Schools, FY23Covington Independent Public Schools $16,918; Perry County $15,812; Knox County Public Schools $14,730; 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; Anderson County Schools $12,208; Ohio County Schools $11,933; State median, 1,000+ students $13,912.10k14k18kCovington Independent Public Schools$16,918Perry County$15,812Knox County Public Schools$14,730Woodford County Public Schools$13,439Whitley County Schools$13,081Graves County Schools$12,902Grayson County$12,707Carter County Schools$12,650Anderson County Schools$12,208Ohio County Schools$11,933State median, 1,000+ students $13,912

Where the money came from

$69,855,000 in revenue: 62.8% state, 13.4% local and 23.8% federal. Total spending including $6,661,000 of capital outlay was $66,805,000, or $16,943 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Knox County Public Schools revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $43,848,000; Local $9,379,000; Federal $16,628,000; total $69,855,000.
  • State$43,848,000 63%
  • Local$9,379,000 13%
  • Federal$16,628,000 24%

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

3,943 students in 2022-23, 3,808 students in 2023-24, 3,717 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Knox County Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,943, 2023-24: 3,808, 2024-25: 3,71701k2k3k4k2022-233,9432023-243,8082024-253,717
Knox County Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,943, 2023-24: 3,808, 2024-25: 3,71701k2k3k4k2022-233,9432023-243,8082024-253,717
Knox County Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,943, 2023-24: 3,808, 2024-25: 3,71701k2k3k4k2022-233,9432023-243,8082024-253,717
Knox County Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,943, 2023-24: 3,808, 2024-25: 3,71701k2k3k4k2022-233,9432023-243,8082024-253,717

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-233,943304.712.9
2023-243,808307.012.4
2024-253,717300.812.4

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

$16,467,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,176 per student

Knox County Public Schools booked $16,467,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 313 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 $52,654 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 22 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$11,924,00072.4%
Special education$3,406,00020.7%
Vocational$850,0005.2%
Other programs$287,0001.7%

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

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,542 in 2018-19, $3,643 in 2019-20, $3,837 in 2020-21, $4,056 in 2021-22, $4,176 in 2022-23.

Knox County Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,542, 2019-20: $3,643, 2020-21: $3,837, 2021-22: $4,056, 2022-23: $4,17602k4k6k2018-19$3,5422019-20$3,6432020-21$3,8372021-22$4,0562022-23$4,176
Knox County Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,542, 2019-20: $3,643, 2020-21: $3,837, 2021-22: $4,056, 2022-23: $4,17602k4k6k2018-19$3,5422019-20$3,6432020-21$3,8372021-22$4,0562022-23$4,176
Knox County Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,542, 2019-20: $3,643, 2020-21: $3,837, 2021-22: $4,056, 2022-23: $4,17602k4k6k2018-19$3,5422019-20$3,6432020-21$3,8372021-22$4,0562022-23$4,176
Knox County Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,542, 2019-20: $3,643, 2020-21: $3,837, 2021-22: $4,056, 2022-23: $4,17602k4k6k2018-19$3,5422019-20$3,6432020-21$3,8372021-22$4,0562022-23$4,176

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 Knox County Public Schools scored proficient or above: 40% in reading and 34% 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 arts40%44.7%1,963
Math34%37.8%1,962

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

88% of the 303 students in Knox County Public 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 rate88%91.4%
Students in the class30349,023

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.

7 elementary schools, 1,933 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Lynn Camp Elementary School50113.384.4%Not reported
Jesse D Lay Elementary School32512.755.1%Schoolwide program
Central Elementary School31312.485.9%Schoolwide program
Girdler Elementary School26712.985.8%Schoolwide program
G R Hampton Elementary School24413.968.9%Schoolwide program
Flat Lick Elementary School16310.089.6%Schoolwide program
Dewitt Elementary School1209.587.5%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, 522 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Knox County Middle School52212.275.9%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.

4 high schools, 1,251 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Knox Central High School72013.874.0%Schoolwide program
Lynn Camp Middle High School44711.979.9%Not reported
Knox County Learning Academy526.588.5%Not Title I
Knox Appalachian School3210.790.6%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, 11 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Knox Inspire Academy1111.072.7%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.

One more school on file: small, closed or in an earlier directory

These records carry fewer federal fields than a full school page needs, so each is summarized here with what NCES reports.

Knox County Day Treatment

School in Barbourville; last listed in the 2024-25 NCES directory (closed); 16 students; 8.0 students per teacher.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 and earlier directories: the last year each school was listed, its students and its teachers.

Contact Knox County Public 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 Knox County Public Schools

  1. Kentucky districts by spending per studentKnox County Public Schools ranks 29 of 137 Kentucky districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($14,730).#29 of 137
  2. Every school district in KentuckyKnox County Public Schools is the number 38 by size of 174 Kentucky districts, with 3,943 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#38 of 174
  3. Graves County SchoolsThe next larger Kentucky district: 3,977 students in fall 2022, $12,902 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$12,902
  4. Ohio County SchoolsThe next smaller Kentucky district: 3,910 students in fall 2022, $11,933 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$11,933
  5. Compare Knox County Public Schools with Graves County SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Knox Central High School, its largest high school720 students in 2024-25, 13.8 per teacher.720
  7. Teacher salary spending across KentuckyKnox County Public Schools spent $52,654 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $56,497); spending, not a salary.$52,654
  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 Knox County Public Schools

  1. How many schools and students are in Knox County Public Schools?
    13 schools were open in 2024-25 (7 elementary, 1 middle, 4 high, 1 other), enrolling 3,717 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Knox County Public Schools spend per student?
    $14,730 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 $16,392 per student, up 11.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Knox County Public Schools' money come from?
    $69,855,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 62.8% state, 13.4% local and 23.8% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Knox County Public Schools live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 1,341 of the 4,526 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 29.6%, 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 Knox County Public Schools spend on teacher salaries?
    $16,467,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,176 per student. Divided by the 313 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $52,654 per teacher, more than 22 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 Knox County Public Schools do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Knox County Public Schools scored proficient or above: 40% in reading and 34% 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 Knox County Public Schools?
    88% of the 303 students in Knox County Public 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 Knox County Public Schools' NCES district ID?
    2103150. 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