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High Schools in Nelson County

At a glance

DistrictNelson County135^th of 157 Kentucky districtsFull district overview →

Schools

1,400

Students

Top rankedThomas Nelson High School162^nd of 254 Kentucky high schools

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Biggest riser

Nelson County High School up 20 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

Nelson County, Kentucky is home to two high schools: Nelson County High School and Thomas Nelson High School. Both schools serve grades 9-12 and have similar performance metrics, with no clear standout school in the data set.

The two high schools in Nelson County have comparable rankings, with Nelson County High School ranked 170 out of 254 Kentucky high schools and Thomas Nelson High School ranked 162. Both schools have a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. Graduation rates and dropout rates are also consistent, with both schools reporting a 93.5% four-year graduation rate and a 1.1% dropout rate for the 2024-2025 school year. However, both schools struggle with high chronic absenteeism rates of 25.0%.

Academically, the schools perform below the state average on standardized tests like the KSA and ACT. For example, in 2024-2025, Nelson County High School had a 38% proficiency rate in 10th-grade mathematics, compared to the state average of 41%. Socioeconomic factors may play a role, as Nelson County High School has a higher percentage of free and reduced lunch recipients at 47.38% compared to Thomas Nelson High School at 41.99%. The slightly higher per-student spending at Thomas Nelson High School ($16,340) compared to Nelson County High School ($15,983) may also contribute to the marginal performance differences between the two schools.

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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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				KSA Mathematics (2025)	KSA Reading (2025)	KSA Science (2025)	KSA Writing (2025)	KSA Social Studies (2025)	KSA Editing and Mechanics (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	KSA Mathematics 10th Grade	KSA Reading 10th Grade	KSA Science 11th Grade	KSA Writing 11th Grade	KSA Social Studies 11th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 8th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Nelson County High School	Public	9-12	1070 Bloomfield Rd	Bardstown	40004	Nelson County	Nelson County	No	No	No	Yes	(502) 349-7010	756	47	16.1	51.9%	670 (88.6%)	14 (1.9%)	42 (5.6%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.2%)	38.8	170^th of 254 public high schools	33.1%		34.4	190^th of 290 public high schools	34.5%	20	38.0	45.0		40.0	32.0		34.0	$15,983	$1,059	$323	$1,383	$9,430	$3,324	$12,754
Thomas Nelson High School	Public	9-12	150 Generals Blvd	Bardstown	40004	Nelson County	Nelson County	No	No	No	Yes	(502) 349-4650	629	33	19.3	43.9%	591 (94.0%)	8 (1.3%)	18 (2.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.6%)	42.1	162^nd of 254 public high schools	36.2%		39	179^th of 290 public high schools	38.3%	17	36.0	47.0	26.0	31.0	31.0		40.0	$16,340	$1,174	$240	$1,415	$9,521	$3,322	$12,849
The Up Center	Public	6-12	1060 Bloomfield Rd.	Bardstown	40004	Nelson County	Nelson County	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(502) 348-9096	0	7	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Heartland Youth Village	Public, Virtual	6-12	1013 Granite Drive	Bardstown	40004	Nelson County	Nelson County	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(502) 849-3440	15	2	7.5	20.0%	13 (86.7%)	1 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (6.7%)								(n/a)						30.0

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Spencer County	8.34 mi	6	45^th
Bardstown Independent	11 mi	6	62^nd
Washington County	13.12 mi	6	82^nd
Bullitt County	14.7 mi	25	124^th
Marion County	20.37 mi	8	32^nd

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.