There were 405 African American students enrolled in Nelson County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 1.7% decrease from the 412 African American students in the previous school year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.
Data showed that Nelson County welcomed a total of 7,379 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 5.5% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the county.
Among the 16 schools in Nelson County, Bardstown Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 98 students, making up 11.3% of the school’s total student body.
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.
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 | % of African American Students | Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| Bardstown Alternative School | 9.6% | 83 |
| Bardstown Early Childhood Center | 12.1% | 306 |
| Bardstown Elementary School | 11.3% | 871 |
| Bardstown Primary School | 11.4% | 430 |
| Bardstown High School | 12% | 744 |
| Bardstown Middle School | 9.9% | 593 |
| Bloomfield Middle School | 0.3% | 325 |
| The New Haven School | 0.3% | 365 |
| Bloomfield Elementary School | 0.4% | 282 |
| 2.9% | 34 | |
| The Academy at Horizons | 3.7% | 109 |
| Coxs Creek Elementary School | 1.6% | 502 |
| Foster Heights Elementary School | 2.3% | 657 |
| Nelson County Early Learning Center | 2.2% | 185 |
| Old Kentucky Home Middle School | 1.5% | 406 |
| Nelson County High School | 2.2% | 817 |
| Thomas Nelson High School | 0.9% | 670 |