Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Payne Gap

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Payne Gap, KentuckyPhoto: FatCat96 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Schools in Payne Gap

Payne Gap’s public schools

Letcher County School District and Jenkins Independent School District have no state test or graduation results we can use, so there is no Schools grade for Payne Gap. Each school below is shown with its own results.

—Not gradedK–12Where will my kid go?0/6schools above Kentucky’s middle

Tests spring 2022, when 100% of students in Kentucky’s tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s graduation rate (U.S. Department of Education). How TownRatings grades schools

Reading proficiency
41%
2021–22
Math proficiency
30%
2021–22
Graduate on time
92%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$19.9K
▲ 35% vs KY $14.8K
FY2024 · Letcher County
Students per teacher
14.6
KY 15.4 · smaller classes
Schools in town
0
2,558 students on the public path
In brief

Payne Gap’s schools, in brief

School by school

0 of Payne Gap’s 6 district schools with test results score above the middle of Kentucky’s 1,177 public schools. Cowan Elementary School places highest (better than 47%); Jenkins Independent School lowest (9%). See the path ↓

Which school depends on your street

Six elementary schools serve Payne Gap, graded from D to B−, so it’s worth checking the specific school. Then two high schools: Letcher County Central High School and Jenkins Independent School. See the path ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools in Payne Gap, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
PK–86 schoolsDepends on your addressD to B−
9–122 high schoolsDepends on your addressD to C+

Which school depends on your address. To confirm it, ask the Letcher County School District.

Two districts serve Payne Gap

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Letcher County School DistrictGrades PK–12 · 9 schools · 2,429 students, down 4% since 2020–21 · 14.5 per teacher (KY 15.4)
$19,910KY $14,752 · FY2024
C
Jenkins Independent School DistrictGrades PK–12 · 1 schools · 453 students, up 10% since 2020–21 · 15.1 per teacher (KY 15.4)
$17,037KY $14,752 · FY2024
D−
Test scores · 2021–22

Well below the state in reading

Reading · PK–12, Letcher County School District41%
State average 44.7% · 1440 students tested
Math · PK–12, Letcher County School District30%
State average 37.8% · 1441 students tested
Reading · PK–12, Jenkins Independent School District30%
State average 44.7% · 214 students tested
Math · PK–12, Jenkins Independent School District18%
State average 37.8% · 214 students tested

Payne Gap vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the Kentucky towns that share Payne Gap’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
Payne Gap—Letcher County PK–12 · Jenkins Independent PK–12
JenkinsD−Jenkins Independent

Every school in Payne Gap

7 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Kentucky’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

Also serving Payne Gapin other towns
West Whitesburg Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Whitesburg
C
462 students14:1Rate it →
Jenkins Independent School
Grades PK–12 · Jenkins
D
453 students15:1Rate it →
Martha Jane Potter Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Whitesburg
C−
273 students14:1Rate it →
Cowan Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–8 · Whitesburg
B−
246 students15:1Rate it →
Letcher Elementary & Middle School
Elementary · Grades K–8 · Blackey
322 students15:1Rate it →
Arlie Boggs Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–8 · Eolia
C−
110 students13:1Rate it →
Letcher County Central High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Whitesburg
C+
692 students15:1Rate it →

Questions about Payne Gap’s schools

Are Payne Gap’s schools good?

There’s no Schools grade for Payne Gap. Letcher County School District and Jenkins Independent School District have no state test or graduation results we can use, so there is no Schools grade for Payne Gap. Each school below is shown with its own results. School by school, 0 of its 6 district schools with test results score above the middle of Kentucky’s public schools on their 2020–21 results.

What school district is Payne Gap in?

Letcher County School District and Jenkins Independent School District.

Where do Payne Gap kids go to high school?

One of two high schools, depending on your address: Letcher County Central High School and Jenkins Independent School.

Parents talk

What Payne Gap families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Payne Gap → They have their own page.

School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). Stars are from neighbors.