schoolsbycounty

Pendleton County Schools & Education

School Score

56/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange 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

$6,040

National avg $13,239

State avg $6,894

School Score

56/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 57/100

State Score Position

#68

of 120 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Pendleton County

Measured School Summary

Pendleton County performs at an average level with a school score of 56/100 and a solid graduation rate of 97.0%.

Funding Context

At $6,040 per pupil, Pendleton County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 2% below the Kentucky average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 3.2 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 12% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Pendleton 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

56/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #68 of 120 Kentucky counties with school score data.

Completion

97.0%

3.2 pts above the state average

Funding context

$6,040

$854 below the state average

School coverage

4

1 district represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Pendleton 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.

Parent decision brief

What Pendleton 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

Pendleton 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

#68

of 120 Kentucky counties with school score data. The county score is 1 points below 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.

Pendleton County

Elementary to high school visible

2,246 students

Elementary 2Middle 1High 1Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

Pendleton 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 Pendleton 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

Pendleton County per-pupil spending sits below 7,000 dollars

Education data brief for Pendleton County, Kentucky.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor
Lead metric:Per-pupil spending

Pendleton County reports a per-pupil expenditure of $6,040, which is lower than the Kentucky state average of $6,894 and less than half the national average of $13,000. The county operates a single school district for 2,246 students, spread across four rural schools. The largest is Pendleton County High School, which enrolls 698 students. The county matches the 97.0% graduation rate seen in some neighboring counties, which is significantly higher than the national benchmark of 87.0%. Pendleton County's composite school score of 55.9 is slightly below the state average of 56.7 but remains above the national median of 50.0. No charter schools are present in the county. All four schools are classified as being in rural locales. Compare district boundaries before drawing conclusions.

Sources

School Overview

Total Schools

4

in Pendleton County

Reported Enrollment

2,246

4 schools reporting

School Districts

1

district

Charter Schools

0

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary2
Middle1
High1
Other0

1 School District in Pendleton County

Pendleton County

4 schools
2,246 students enrolled

4 Public Schools in Pendleton 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 data

Level

Showing 4 of 4 matching schools

Pendleton County High School

Pendleton County

Falmouth, 41040 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High698 students

Southern Elementary School

Pendleton County

Falmouth, 41040 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary558 students

Phillip Sharp Middle School

Pendleton County

Butler, 41006 / Rural: Distant

Record6–8Middle497 students

Northern Elementary School

Pendleton County

Butler, 41006 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary493 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$6,040

State avg $6,894

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Pendleton 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.

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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 Pendleton County?
Pendleton County has a school score of 56/100, which is a midrange 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 Pendleton County?
The high school graduation rate in Pendleton County is 97.0%, 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 Pendleton County spend per student?
Pendleton County spends $6,040 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

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed 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.