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C+

McCreary County School District

Public school districtGrades PK–12Regional · 3 towns

Serves Stearns, Pine Knot and Whitley City.

Stearns’ School Grade C+ better than 42% of Kentucky school districts

Students
2,668
Schools
5
Spent per student
$14,190
KY $14,752
Students per teacher
15:1
Free or reduced lunch
82%
Debt
$16M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about McCreary County School District

  • Its letter, C+: results better than 42% of Kentucky districts
  • 15 students per teacher
  • Debt of $16M, about $6,015 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

C+: better than 42% of the 172 Kentucky school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math below the state, 2021–22
B−
GraduationFour-year graduation close to the state, class of 2023
C
The towns it serves, and their School Grades
C+Stearns 1,271C+Pine Knot 1,051Whitley City 963

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Stearns. Grade by grade →

PK–52 elementary schoolsThis district
6–8McCreary County Middle SchoolThis district
9–12McCreary Central High SchoolThis district

Test scores vs. KY

2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency34%
State average 37.8% · 1,343 students tested
Reading / language arts45%
State average 44.7% · 1,343 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)90–94%
State average 91.4% · 177 in the class

100% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$14,190 per student · 4% below KY
Spending
Classroom instruction 54%Support & administration 37%Other 9%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 12%State 57%Federal 31%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
2,729’20
2,742’21
2,715’22
2,727’23
2,668’24

About steady since 2020–21.

Students
White 96%Hispanic 2%Two or more races 2%Black <1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%Asian <1%

Schools in the district

5 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Kentucky’s other public schools.

Whitley City Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Whitley City
D
547 students15:1
Pine Knot Primary
Elementary · Grades PK–2 · Pine Knot
425 students15:1
Pine Knot Intermediate
Elementary · Grades 3–5 · Pine Knot
B
352 students13:1
McCreary County Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Stearns
C+
633 students16:1
McCreary Central High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Stearns
C−
711 students16:1

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within Kentucky.