McCreary County Schools & Education
McCreary County, Kentucky
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
75/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Higher Signal
Graduation Rate
97.0%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
97.0%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 93.8%
Per-Pupil Spending
$7,528
National avg $13,239
State avg $6,894
School Score
75/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 57/100
State Score Position
#9
of 120 counties by score
Education Data Brief: McCreary County
Measured School Summary
McCreary County has a higher measured school signal with a school score of 75/100 and a graduation rate of 97.0%, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-score inputs.
Funding Context
At $7,528 per pupil, McCreary County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 31% above the Kentucky average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 3.2 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 9% higher than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read McCreary 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
4 public schools and 1 district 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
75/100
Higher measured signal. Ranks #9 of 120 Kentucky counties with school score data.
Completion
97.0%
3.2 pts above the state average
Funding context
$7,528
$634 above the state average
School coverage
4
1 district 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
McCreary County has 4 public schools across 1 district, 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.
What McCreary 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.
Small-system county
McCreary County has a compact public-school footprint. A single school change, boundary rule, or district update can move the lived experience more than the county score suggests.
State position
#9
of 120 Kentucky counties with school score data. The county score is 18 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.
McCreary County
Elementary to high school visible
2,715 students
4 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
McCreary County is the largest listed district slice, with 4 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 McCreary County?
Which attendance zones, transfer rules, and transportation policies apply inside the local district?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
McCreary County Reports Highest Composite School Score in Regional Comparison
Education data brief for McCreary County, Kentucky.
McCreary County’s composite school score of 74.6 stands as the county's most distinctive metric, significantly higher than the Kentucky state average of 56.7 and the national median of 50.0. The graduation rate is also high at 97.0%, exceeding the state's 93.8% and the national 87.0% benchmark. Spending per pupil is $7,528, which is above the state average of $6,894 but nearly $5,500 less than the national average of $13,000. The county operates a single school district serving 2,715 students across four schools, all of which are located in rural areas. Pine Knot Elementary School is the largest facility with 825 students, followed by McCreary Central High School with 734. The average school size is 679 students, which is relatively large for a rural district with few buildings. No charter or alternative schools are reported in the county directory. For further information, see the NCES Common Core of Data.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
4
in McCreary County
Reported Enrollment
2,715
4 schools reporting
School Districts
1
district
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
1 School District in McCreary County
McCreary County
4 Public Schools in McCreary County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 4 of 4 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Knot Elementary School | Record | McCreary County | Pine Knot, 42635Rural: Distant | PK–5 | Primary | 825 |
| McCreary Central High School | Record | McCreary County | Stearns, 42647Rural: Remote | 9–12 | High | 734 |
| McCreary County Middle School | Record | McCreary County | Stearns, 42647Rural: Remote | 6–8 | Middle | 605 |
| Whitley City Elementary School | Record | McCreary County | Whitley City, 42653Rural: Remote | PK–5 | Primary | 551 |
Pine Knot Elementary School
McCreary County
Pine Knot, 42635 / Rural: Distant
McCreary County Middle School
McCreary County
Stearns, 42647 / Rural: Remote
Whitley City Elementary School
McCreary County
Whitley City, 42653 / Rural: Remote
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$7,528
State avg $6,894
Compare Nearby Counties
Review McCreary County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
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See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
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What is the graduation rate in McCreary County?
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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.