Louisville City Wire

There were 8,292 first grade students enrolled in Jefferson County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 4.3% more than the previous year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Fern Creek Elementary School welcomed most of the first grade students in the county, registering 160 students.

Within Jefferson County schools, the highest student population was found in ninth grade, with the smallest class sizes seen in preschool.

Statewide, Jefferson County ranked first in enrollment numbers. It was also ranked first the year before.

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	# of 1st Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
Fern Creek Elementary School	160	19.6%	816
Bowen Elementary School	142	18.8%	756
Tully Elementary School	140	16.5%	851
Norton Elementary School	135	17.8%	758
McFerran Preparatory Academy	134	14.8%	903
Farmer Elementary School	130	16.1%	809
Blake Elementary School	128	20.3%	630
Jeffersontown Elementary School	126	16.5%	763
Stopher Elementary School	126	15.9%	794
Camp Taylor Elementary School	124	23.3%	533
Laukhuf Elementary School	124	17.4%	714
Goldsmith Elementary School	119	17%	702
Wilder Elementary School	118	18.8%	628
Semple Elementary School	118	17.9%	660
Indian Trail Elementary School	116	18.4%	629
Watterson Elementary School	115	19.3%	597
Auburndale Elementary School	115	17.2%	670
Middletown Elementary School	114	18.7%	609
Kenwood Elementary School	113	18.1%	624
Fairdale Elementary School	112	17.2%	650
Chancey Elementary School	111	17.1%	649
Lowe Elementary School	107	17.5%	613
Eisenhower Elementary School	105	16.5%	636
Norton Commons Elementary School	105	15.3%	685
Coral Ridge Elementary School	104	16.5%	629
St. Matthews Elementary School	104	17.1%	609
Wheeler Elementary School	104	15.8%	657
Foster Traditional Academy	102	16.2%	631
Bates Elementary School	101	16.7%	604
Audubon Traditional Elementary School	100	15.7%	637
Carter Traditional Elementary School	99	17.6%	563
Schaffner Traditional Elementary School	98	16%	611
Greathouse/Shryock Traditional	97	15.5%	624
Chenoweth Elementary School	97	18.2%	533
Lincoln Elementary Performing Arts	97	16.6%	583
Wilt Elementary School	96	16.5%	583
Rangeland Elementary School	95	18%	528
Luhr Elementary School	95	16%	594
Coleridge-Taylor Montessori Elementary School	93	18.9%	493
Hartstern Elementary School	92	15.6%	588
Bloom Elementary School	92	17.2%	534
Rutherford Elementary School	92	16.1%	573
Kennedy Elementary School	92	17.7%	519
Smyrna Elementary School	89	14.5%	612
Wilkerson Elementary School	87	13.4%	651
Stonestreet Elementary School	87	16.8%	519
Cochrane Elementary School	87	14.9%	583
Layne Elementary School	87	18.3%	475
Jacob Elementary School	87	15.7%	554
Price Elementary School	86	16.8%	511
Blue Lick Elementary School	85	14.8%	575
Trunnell Elementary School	85	15.3%	557
Wellington Elementary School	85	17.8%	478
Mill Creek Elementary School	85	16%	531
Frayser Elementary School	85	22.7%	375
Field Elementary School	84	18.3%	459
Hite Elementary School	82	17%	481
Atkinson Academy	82	21.7%	378
Sanders Elementary School	81	16.9%	478
Medora Elementary School	80	16.6%	482
Kerrick Elementary School	80	18.4%	435
Klondike Lane Elementary School	80	15.3%	524
Greenwood Elementary School	79	15.9%	498
Hawthorne Elementary School	79	16%	493
Dunn Elementary School	79	14.9%	529
Hazelwood Elementary School	77	12.4%	620
Gutermuth Elementary School	76	17.6%	431
Cane Run Elementary School	75	16%	470
Brandeis Elementary School	75	15.8%	476
Shelby Academy	75	14.9%	505
Slaughter Elementary School	74	16.8%	441
Engelhard Elementary School	74	21.3%	347
Breckinridge-Franklin Elementary School	71	22.6%	314
Cochran Elementary School	68	17.5%	388
Peace Academy	65	3.5%	1,858
Crums Lane Elementary School	64	15.5%	412
Minors Lane Elementary School	62	14.5%	429
Wheatley Elementary School	62	16.4%	379
Dixie Elementary School	61	14.6%	418
Okolona Elementary School	60	14.5%	414
Zachary Taylor Elementary School	58	15.7%	370
Shacklette Elementary School	56	11.5%	487
Byck Elementary School	55	17%	323
King Elementary School	54	14.9%	363
Johnsontown Road Elementary School	53	13.7%	387
Alex R. Kennedy Elementary School	53	12.5%	424
J. Graham Brown School	48	6.5%	742
Portland Elementary School	48	17.3%	278
Maupin Elementary School	46	11.7%	392
Anchorage Independent Public School	43	10.5%	411
Pathfinder School of Innovation	38	1.6%	2,396
Young Elementary School	34	15.8%	215
The Brook-Dupont	26	6.2%	418
Churchill Park School	4	3.3%	122
Kentucky School for the Blind	4	5.3%	76
Western Day Treatment	2	8.7%	23
Waller-Williams Environmental	1	0.8%	119
Binet School	1	2.2%	46
Home of the Innocents Discovery	1	2.9%	35