North Bluegrass News

Bourbon County High School had the highest enrollment among Bourbon County schools, welcoming 1,029 students during the 2022-23 school year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2022-23 school year, 52.2% of them were girls, and 47.8% were boys.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 84.2% of Bourbon County High School's total enrollment.

Among the 10 schools in Bourbon County, Bourbon County Middle School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 806 students, while Bourbon Central Elementary School welcomed 625 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

Bourbon County High School is part of Bourbon County School District, which roughly covers schools within Bourbon County and has a main office in Paris.

In the previous school year, Bourbon County High School also had the highest number of students among Bourbon County schools.

Kentucky is in the midst of a statewide teacher shortage as turnover rates spiked to 10.9% in 2023, up from an 8.9% nine-year average. This issue is more prominent in schools with more low-income and minority students.

Data also shows that between 2019 and 2023, there was an increase of 260% in the number of available teaching posts in Kentucky schools. This often leads to larger class sizes, combining programs, and retaining staff despite potential negative impacts on teacher working conditions.

School name	City	Total School Enrollment
Bourbon County High School	Paris	1,029
Bourbon County Middle School	Paris	806
Bourbon Central Elementary School	Paris	625
Cane Ridge Elementary School	Paris	530
Paris Elementary School	Paris	356
Bourbon County Preschool Headstart	Paris	288
Paris High School	Paris	215
Paris Middle School	Paris	166
North Middletown Elementary School	North Middletown	164
Paris Preschool Center	Paris	43