Nicholas County

Nicholas County has two listed schools serving 1,080 students from prekindergarten through grade 12: Nicholas County Elementary School (PK–6) and Nicholas County High School (grades 7–12). The main academic concern is that most 2025–2026 results trail state proficiency: every reported elementary result is below the state, and 10 of 11 high-school comparisons are below.

The schools’ standout results are in different grades and subjects. At Nicholas County Elementary School, grade 3 reading is its strongest current comparison, with 39% proficient versus 49% statewide, a 10-point gap; grade 5 writing is its weakest, at 11% versus 35%, a 24-point gap. At Nicholas County High School, grade 11 writing stands out: 50% versus 47% statewide, 3 points higher. Its weakest comparison is grade 8 writing, at 25% versus 48%, a 23-point gap; grade 8 reading is also low, at 19% versus 40%. These results do not establish which school performs better overall because they serve different grades.

Recent trends are mixed at the elementary school but weaker overall at the high school. Elementary reading improved in three of four grades from the prior year, and its average gap to the state narrowed from 17 points to 13; however, math moved farther behind. Across comparable high-school results, the average gap widened from about 8 points to 12. Grade 11 writing remains an exception, but its advantage over the state narrowed from 14 points in 2024–2025 to 3 points in 2025–2026. SchoolDigger’s percentile ranking for the elementary school was 13th, 15th, then 11th across the last three years; the high school’s was 47th, 33rd, then 28th. In 2024–2025, free/reduced lunch eligible students made up 66% at the elementary school and 57% at the high school; student-teacher ratios were 17.6 and 18.1, respectively. These are context measures, not explanations for test results.