Louisville City Wire

There were 10,421 ninth grade students enrolled in Jefferson County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 2.7% more than the previous year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Newcomer Academy welcomed most of the ninth grade students in the county, registering 576 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 9th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
Newcomer Academy	576	39.9%	1,445
Louisville Male High School	569	28.4%	2,003
Eastern High School	554	24.7%	2,240
Ballard High School	553	26%	2,131
Fern Creek High School	509	26.8%	1,902
Dupont Manual High School	493	25.5%	1,935
Southern High School	444	27.8%	1,596
Pleasure Ridge Park High School	434	26.4%	1,642
Seneca High School	430	27.7%	1,552
Iroquois High School	429	32.2%	1,332
Atherton High School	427	27.7%	1,542
Marion C. Moore School	416	15.3%	2,715
Fairdale High School	414	27.5%	1,508
Pathfinder School of Innovation	401	16.7%	2,396
Butler Traditional High School	384	26.7%	1,440
Waggener High School	369	34.8%	1,061
Jeffersontown High School	354	32.2%	1,100
Central High Magnet Career Academy	347	28.1%	1,233
Doss High School	342	30.4%	1,125
Valley High School	325	30.2%	1,076
Western High School	304	29.3%	1,036
Peace Academy	282	15.2%	1,858
The Academy @ Shawnee	165	27.1%	609
The Brook-Kmi	142	22.4%	634
Minor Daniels Academy	119	24%	496
Ackerly	90	19.3%	466
W.E.B. Dubois Academy	85	14.3%	594
J. Graham Brown School	65	8.8%	742
Breckinridge Metropolitan High School	63	26.8%	235
The Phoenix School of Discovery	63	15.3%	412
Jefferson Regional Juvenile Detention Ce	52	35.9%	145
Liberty High School	46	25%	184
Mary Jo and William MacDonald Maryhurst	30	23.6%	127
Home of the Innocents School	30	22.4%	134
Brooklawn	21	17.5%	120
Waller-Williams Environmental	20	16.8%	119
Georgia Chaffee Teenage Parent Program	20	27%	74
Boys & Girls Haven	14	24.1%	58
St. Joseph Children's Home	10	14.3%	70
Kentucky School for the Blind	8	10.5%	76
Mary Ryan Academy	6	25%	24
Binet School	5	10.9%	46
Churchill Park School	5	4.1%	122
Louisville Day	3	20%	15
Home of the Innocents Discovery	3	8.6%	35