North Bluegrass News

There were 39 African American students enrolled in Harrison County School District schools in the 2022-23 school year, 2.6% more than the previous year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Data showed that Harrison County School District welcomed 3,066 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 1.3% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the district.

Harrison County School District roughly covers seven schools within Harrison County and has a main office in Cynthiana.

Among the seven schools in Harrison County School District, Harrison County Middle School recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of nine students.

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.

Year	Total District Enrollment	Total African American Students	African American %
2022-23	3,066	39	1.3%
2021-22	3,076	38	1.2%
2020-21	2,977	37	1.2%
2019-20	3,128	45	1.4%