Can I use Johnson County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Johnson County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Johnson County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Johnson County?

Start with the 14 listed public schools and 2 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Johnson County Schools & Education

Name: Johnson County, Kentucky Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Johnson County, Kentucky

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

81/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Higher Signal

Graduation Rate

97.5%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

97.5%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 93.8%

Per-Pupil Spending

$7,940

National avg $13,239

State avg $6,894

School Score

81/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 57/100

State Score Position

of 120 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Johnson County

Measured School Summary

Johnson County has a higher measured school signal with a school score of 81/100 and a graduation rate of 97.5%, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-score inputs.

Funding Context

At $7,940 per pupil, Johnson County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 41% above the Kentucky average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 3.7 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 15% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Johnson County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

14 public schools and 2 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

81/100

Higher measured signal. Ranks #2 of 120 Kentucky counties with school score data.

Completion

97.5%

3.7 pts above the state average

Funding context

$7,940

$1,046 above the state average

School coverage

2 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county screens well on the combined school metrics available here. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Johnson County has 14 public schools across 2 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Johnson County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Dominant-district county

Johnson County carries most of the listed public-school system, with 11 of 14 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.

State position

of 120 Kentucky counties with school score data. The county score is 24 points above the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

Johnson County

Elementary to high school visible

3,344 students

Elementary 5Middle 1High 1Other 4

11 listed schools in this county slice.

Paintsville Independent

Elementary and high visible

766 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 1

3 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

Johnson County is the largest listed district slice, with 11 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Johnson County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Johnson County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Data Story

Johnson County Graduation Rate Reaches 97.5 Percent

Education data brief for Johnson County, Kentucky.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:Graduation rate

Johnson County reports a graduation rate of 97.5%, a figure that is 10.5 percentage points higher than the national average of 87.0% and exceeds the Kentucky state average of 93.8%. The county also maintains a composite school score of 80.6, which is substantially higher than the national median of 50.0 and the state average of 56.7. Education in the county is split between two districts: Johnson County, with 11 schools and 3,344 students, and Paintsville Independent, with three schools and 766 students. The largest facility, Johnson Central High School, enrolls 955 students. Per-pupil expenditure in the county is $7,940, which is higher than the Kentucky average of $6,894 but remains below the national average of approximately $13,000. Of the 14 public schools in the county, 10 are classified as town locales and four are rural. There are currently no charter schools in operation. Compare district boundaries before drawing conclusions.

Sources

NCES Common Core of Data
U.S. Census Bureau ACS

School Overview

Total Schools

in Johnson County

Reported Enrollment

4,110

14 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary6

Middle1

High2

Other5

2 School Districts in Johnson County

Johnson County

Paintsville Independent

3 schools

766 students

14 Public Schools in Johnson County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 1 high-enrollment school; every NCES public school remains listed here.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 14 of 14 matching schools

Public schools in Johnson County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Johnson Central High School	Profile	Johnson County	Paintsville, 41240Town: Remote	9–12	High	955
Johnson County Middle School	Record	Johnson County	Paintsville, 41240Town: Remote	7–8	Middle	475
Paintsville Elementary School	Record	Paintsville Independent	Paintsville, 41240Town: Remote	PK–6	Primary	433
Highland Elementary School	Record	Johnson County	Staffordsville, 41256Rural: Fringe	PK–6	Primary	419
Porter Elementary School	Record	Johnson County	Hagerhill, 41222Rural: Fringe	PK–6	Primary	412
W R Castle Memorial Elementary School	Record	Johnson County	Wittensville, 41274Rural: Fringe	PK–6	Primary	401
Central Elementary School	Record	Johnson County	Paintsville, 41240Town: Remote	PK–6	Primary	338
Paintsville High School	Record	Paintsville Independent	Paintsville, 41240Town: Remote	7–12	High	333
Flat Gap Elementary School	Record	Johnson County	Flatgap, 41219Rural: Distant	PK–6	Primary	205
Johnson County Eagle Academy	Record	Johnson County	Paintsville, 41240Town: Remote	KG–12	Alternative	139
Carl D Perkins Comprehensive Rehab Ctr	Record	Johnson County	Thelma, 41260Town: Remote	UG	Vocational	0
Kentucky TECH - Mayo Regional Tech Ctr	Record	Johnson County	Paintsville, 41240Town: Remote	UG	Vocational	0
Mayo Technical College	Record	Johnson County	Paintsville, 41240Town: Remote	UG	Vocational	0
Tiger Virtual Academy	Record	Paintsville Independent	Paintsville, 41240Town: Remote	KG–12	Virtual	0

Johnson Central High School

Johnson County

Paintsville, 41240 / Town: Remote

Profile9–12High955 students

Johnson County Middle School

Johnson County

Paintsville, 41240 / Town: Remote

Record7–8Middle475 students

Paintsville Elementary School

Paintsville Independent

Paintsville, 41240 / Town: Remote

RecordPK–6Primary433 students

Highland Elementary School

Johnson County

Staffordsville, 41256 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–6Primary419 students

Porter Elementary School

Johnson County

Hagerhill, 41222 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–6Primary412 students

W R Castle Memorial Elementary School

Johnson County

Wittensville, 41274 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–6Primary401 students

Central Elementary School

Johnson County

Paintsville, 41240 / Town: Remote

RecordPK–6Primary338 students

Paintsville High School

Paintsville Independent

Paintsville, 41240 / Town: Remote

Record7–12High333 students

Flat Gap Elementary School

Johnson County

Flatgap, 41219 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–6Primary205 students

Johnson County Eagle Academy

Johnson County

Paintsville, 41240 / Town: Remote

RecordKG–12Alternative139 students

Carl D Perkins Comprehensive Rehab Ctr

Johnson County

Thelma, 41260 / Town: Remote

RecordUGVocational0 students

Kentucky TECH - Mayo Regional Tech Ctr

Johnson County

Paintsville, 41240 / Town: Remote

RecordUGVocational0 students

Mayo Technical College

Johnson County

Paintsville, 41240 / Town: Remote

RecordUGVocational0 students

Tiger Virtual Academy

Paintsville Independent

Paintsville, 41240 / Town: Remote

RecordKG–12Virtual0 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$7,940

State avg $6,894

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Johnson County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Kentucky counties have the highest graduation rates?

Rockcastle County (99.0%), Taylor County (98.5%), and Carter County (98.0%) currently lead Kentucky among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Kentucky?

Across Kentucky counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $6,894. The highest current county values are Wolfe County ($9,307), Fayette County ($8,810), and Jefferson County ($8,382). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Johnson County?

Johnson County has a school score of 81/100, which is a higher measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Johnson County?

The high school graduation rate in Johnson County is 97.5%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Johnson County spend per student?

Johnson County spends $7,940 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

Knott County

Kentucky

+1 pts

81/100

School score

Carroll County

Kentucky

-1 pts

80/100

School score

Bell County

Kentucky

-4 pts

77/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

Explore more data for Johnson County

Property Tax Cost of Living Crime Rate Income Health Disaster Risk Water Quality Weather County Score