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Clay County

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At a glance

23^rdof 158 Kentucky districts▲ 5

Better than 85% of Kentucky districts

Elementary 7 Middle 1 High 1 Alternative 1Grades PK, KG-12

128 Richmond Road
Manchester, KY 40962·(606) 598-2168·All Kentucky district rankings →

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 85.4% of districts

Schools

2,928

Students

5-star schools

Top rankedBurning Springs Elementary1^st of 684 Kentucky elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Big Creek Elementary up 260 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Big Creek Elementary 10.6 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

1 school without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare Kentucky districts →See the top-ranked Kentucky schools →

Summary:

Clay County has 10 schools serving 2,928 students: seven elementary schools, one middle school, one high school and one alternative school. In 2025–2026, reported elementary results averaged 68% in math, compared with 43% statewide, and 69% in reading, compared with 51% statewide. But school results varied widely within the same grade: the spread reached 45 percentage points in third-grade math and 62 points in fifth-grade editing and mechanics. The most important finding is that above-state elementary averages mask substantial differences from one school and subject to another.

Paces Creek Elementary, Burning Springs Elementary and Manchester Elementary School stand out, with different grade-level strengths. Paces Creek reached 95% in fifth-grade math, 52 points above the state; Burning Springs scored 89% in third-grade math, 46 points above; and Manchester scored 93% in sixth-grade reading, 39 points above. At the lower end of some reported comparisons, Oneida Elementary School had 33% in fifth-grade editing and mechanics, 15 points below the state, and 42% in fifth-grade social studies, 4 points above it. The secondary picture is mixed: Clay County High School was above state results in eleventh-grade writing and social studies, while Horse Creek Learning Center was below state results in the reported eleventh-grade social studies and editing results.

Elementary results generally strengthened relative to the state between 2024–2025 and 2025–2026, though not at every school: matched results rose by an average of 7 points in math and 4 in reading, while fifth-grade editing and mechanics rose by an average of 21 points. In contrast, Clay County High School’s tenth-grade math fell 9 points to 34%, and reading fell 6 points to 50%. SchoolDigger ranks Burning Springs 1st, Paces Creek 3rd and Manchester 11th among Kentucky elementary schools; the district has four stars and ranks 23rd of 158. Attendance is a concern: every school with a reported rate exceeded the state’s 24%, including 39% at Manchester and 45% at the high school. The 2024–2025 free/reduced lunch eligible measure ranged from 71% at Hacker Elementary School to 87% at Paces Creek; reported elementary student–teacher ratios ranged from 10.6 to 14.0.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				KSA Mathematics (2026)							KSA Reading (2026)							KSA Science (2026)			KSA Writing (2026)			KSA Social Studies (2026)			KSA Editing and Mechanics (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	KSA Mathematics 3rd Grade	KSA Mathematics 4th Grade	KSA Mathematics 5th Grade	KSA Mathematics 6th Grade	KSA Mathematics 7th Grade	KSA Mathematics 8th Grade	KSA Mathematics 10th Grade	KSA Reading 3rd Grade	KSA Reading 4th Grade	KSA Reading 5th Grade	KSA Reading 6th Grade	KSA Reading 7th Grade	KSA Reading 8th Grade	KSA Reading 10th Grade	KSA Science 4th Grade	KSA Science 7th Grade	KSA Science 11th Grade	KSA Writing 5th Grade	KSA Writing 8th Grade	KSA Writing 11th Grade	KSA Social Studies 5th Grade	KSA Social Studies 8th Grade	KSA Social Studies 11th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 5th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 8th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Big Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	523 N Hwy 66	Oneida	40972	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 598-2812	136	13	10.6	81.6%	133 (97.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.2%)	83.1	76^th of 684 public elementary schools	88.9%		49.9	336^th of 685 public elementary schools	50.9%	260	69.0	59.0	65.0	55.0				75.0	65.0		45.0							71.0			65.0			82.0			$22,716	$3,445	$17,448
Burning Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	9847 N Hwy 421	Manchester	40962	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 598-3138	297	21	13.9	80.1%	288 (97.0%)	2 (0.7%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	97.7	1^st of 684 public elementary schools	99.9%		97.5	2^nd of 685 public elementary schools	99.7%	1	89.0	80.0	66.0	76.0						81.0	90.0							78.0			84.0			84.0			$17,015	$2,503	$12,954
Clay County High School	Public	9-12	415 Clay Co High Rd	Manchester	40962	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	No	(606) 598-3737	762	47	16.2	71.7%	732 (96.1%)	9 (1.2%)	10 (1.3%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.5%)	50.2	120^th of 262 public high schools	54.2%		56.5	93^rd of 254 public high schools	63.4%	27							34.0							50.0			21.0			52.0			43.0			37.0	$33,765	$1,564	$12,839
Goose Rock Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	364 Hwy 1524	Manchester	40962	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 598-3740	231	20	11.4	83.5%	219 (94.8%)	1 (0.4%)	8 (3.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	84.7	63^rd of 684 public elementary schools	90.8%		75.7	133^rd of 685 public elementary schools	80.6%	70	44.0	49.0	63.0	58.0				65.0	71.0	74.0	81.0				54.0			78.0			63.0			81.0			$18,205	$2,406	$14,191
Hacker Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	84 Hooker Rd	Manchester	40962	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 598-3338	244	20	12.0	71.3%	240 (98.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	75.2	131^st of 684 public elementary schools	80.8%		70.5	167^th of 685 public elementary schools	75.6%	36	50.0	54.0	50.0	69.0				50.0	68.0	56.0	62.0				54.0			74.0			53.0			59.0			$17,405	$2,871	$13,162
Manchester Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1908 N Hwy 421	Manchester	40962	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 598-3444	409	29	14.0	71.9%	388 (94.9%)	12 (2.9%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.2%)	94.4	11^th of 684 public elementary schools	98.4%		92.2	24^th of 685 public elementary schools	96.5%	13	62.0	80.0	66.0	80.0				78.0	71.0		93.0				52.0			71.0			79.0			95.0			$16,069	$2,280	$12,174
Oneida Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	435 Newfound Rd	Oneida	40972	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 598-2168	110	9	12.7	77.3%	110 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	59	253^rd of 684 public elementary schools	63.0%		61.9	235^th of 685 public elementary schools	65.7%	18	39.0	86.0						50.0	43.0	67.0	73.0										42.0			33.0			$25,188	$2,989	$15,042
Paces Creek Elementary	Public	K-6	1983 S Hwy 421	Manchester	40962	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 598-6333	273	20	13.4	86.8%	256 (93.8%)	2 (0.7%)	6 (2.2%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)	96.6	3^rd of 684 public elementary schools	99.6%		69	181^st of 685 public elementary schools	73.6%	178	86.0	84.0	95.0	86.0				84.0	63.0	74.0	86.0							84.0						92.0			$16,513	$2,579	$12,182
Clay County Middle School	Public	7-8	239 Richmond Rd	Manchester	40962	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 598-1810	387	32	12.0	69.5%	376 (97.2%)	3 (0.8%)	5 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	46.6	164^th of 326 public middle schools	49.7%		54.4	135^th of 320 public middle schools	57.8%	29					40.0	37.0						54.0	39.0			25.0			48.0			37.0			42.0		$18,020	$2,022	$14,358
Horse Creek Learning Center	Public, Virtual, Alternative	3-12	239 Richmond Rd	Manchester	40962	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	Yes	No	(606) 598-1601	79	5	15.8	89.9%	77 (97.5%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.3%)								(n/a)																							11.0			16.0	$9,444	$310	$7,762

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Leslie County	10.13 mi	5	28^th
Kentucky Technical System	10.86 mi	50
Perry County	13.7 mi	9	46^th
Laurel County	19.54 mi	19	15^th
Knox County	21.37 mi	14	47^th

See the top KY Kentucky districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Kentucky Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.