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West Carter County High School

Q: Is West Carter County High School a good school?

West Carter County High School ranks 131 st of 254 Kentucky high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

131^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 254 Kentucky High Schools

Better than 48% of Kentucky high schools

Summary

West Carter County High School is a public high school in Olive Hill, Kentucky, serving 510 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Carter County School District, which is ranked 83 out of 157 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

West Carter County High School has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking, ranging from 79th out of 271 Kentucky high schools in 2021-2022 to 131st out of 254 in 2024-2025. The school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with female students consistently ranking higher than male students and the school performing well for special education students but struggling with disabled students. While the school maintains a relatively high four-year graduation rate, its dropout rate has been higher than the state average in recent years.

Compared to other high schools in the area, such as Rowan County Senior High School and East Carter County High School, West Carter County High School generally performs on par or slightly below its counterparts. The school faces challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates and relatively low test scores compared to state and district averages. While the school has increased per-student spending, more work is needed to address the underlying factors impacting student outcomes.

506

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,049

Per pupil spending ?

62.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

365 West Carter Dr
Olive Hill, KY 41164

(606) 286-2481

District: Carter County

Feeder schools for West Carter County High School:

Elementary:	Carter City Elementary School
	Olive Hill Elementary School
	Tygart Creek Elementary School
Middle:	West Carter Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

97.0%

Two or more races:

1.2%

Hispanic:

1.0%

See top rated Kentucky high schools

Compare West Carter County High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 47th percentile in 2015 → 48th in 2025

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (37% vs 25% Kentucky)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Mathematics scores 13 pts below the Kentucky average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

District avg37%

Kentucky avg39%

131^st of 254

Kentucky public high schools ?

Bottom 48%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Kentucky High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2High Schools in the Carter County

83^rd of 157Carter County among Kentucky districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	48.9	131 of 254	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.0	123 of 290	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.1	97 of 276	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.7	79 of 271	70.8%	★★★★☆
2021	41.0	144 of 267	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.6	91 of 285	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.0	147 of 271	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	54.9	145 of 287	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.7	164 of 288	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	52.6	155 of 295	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	58.3	116 of 290	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	51.4	142 of 291	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	35.8	155 of 229	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	27.1	186 of 226	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	24.3	187 of 223	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	19.8	194 of 217	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	13.4	206 of 217	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	24.3	179 of 217	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2022	13.8	147 of 153	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.0	136 of 154	11.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	78.9	19 of 166	88.6%	★★★★☆
2018	52.4	59 of 166	64.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	75.9	33 of 239	86.2%	★★★★☆
2024	46.1	136 of 261	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	63.7	71 of 253	71.9%	★★★★☆
2022	66.0	60 of 252	76.2%	★★★★☆
2021	29.6	177 of 236	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	85.9	15 of 249	94.0%	★★★★★
2018	48.0	128 of 234	45.3%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2023	52.2	16 of 37	56.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	40.7	148 of 242	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.5	90 of 274	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.3	69 of 272	74.6%	★★★★☆
2022	69.1	45 of 266	83.1%	★★★★☆
2021	39.4	149 of 234	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	72.9	46 of 254	81.9%	★★★★☆
2018	49.3	122 of 232	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	31.6	176 of 239	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	56.5	103 of 262	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.3	112 of 259	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.9	88 of 257	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.9	136 of 238	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.7	125 of 251	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.3	125 of 237	47.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2023	38.4	89 of 162	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	65.3	69 of 226	69.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	37.4	158 of 251	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.5	149 of 273	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.5	120 of 264	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.4	95 of 260	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	27.4	157 of 198	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Female (2025)86th percentile+38 vs school

Homeless (2023)57th percentile-8 vs school

Special Education (2023)45th percentile-20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)39th percentile-10 vs school

White (2025)37th percentile-11 vs school

Male (2025)26th percentile-22 vs school

Disabled (2022)4th percentile-67 vs school

By subject vs Kentucky (2024-2025) ?

Writing55%+10 vs state

Reading52%+5 vs state

Social Studies40%~ state avg

Editing and Mechanics38%-3 vs state

Mathematics28%-13 vs state

Science18%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near West Carter County High School

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 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
West Carter County High School	Public	9-12	365 West Carter Dr	Olive Hill	41164	Carter County	Carter County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 286-2481	506	28	17.8	62.1%	491 (97.0%)	4 (0.8%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.2%)	48.9	131^st of 254 public high schools	48.4%		55	123^rd of 290 public high schools	57.6%	8	28.0	52.0	18.0	55.0	40.0	38.0	$18,049	$912	$2,652	$3,564	$9,652	$2,941	$12,593
Carter County Career and Technical Center	Public	9-12	15 Grahn Rd.	Olive Hill	41164	Carter County	Carter County	No	No	No	No	(606) 286-4022	0	5	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
East Carter County High School	Public	9-12	405 Hitchins Rd	Grayson	41143	Carter County	Carter County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 474-5714	678	36	18.6	55.9%	637 (94.0%)	1 (0.1%)	22 (3.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	16 (2.4%)	48.8	132^nd of 254 public high schools	48.0%		56.5	117^th of 290 public high schools	59.7%	15	35.0	44.0	22.0	59.0	38.0	34.0	$16,737	$752	$2,625	$3,377	$9,064	$2,438	$11,502
Elliott County High School	Public	9-12	353 South KY 7	Sandy Hook	41171	Elliott County	Elliott County	No	No	No	No	(606) 738-8052	293	28	10.4	64.2%	284 (96.9%)	3 (1.0%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	26.7	195^th of 254 public high schools	23.2%		41.9	166^th of 290 public high schools	42.8%	29	25.0	42.0	11.0	27.0	30.0	41.0	$17,980	$364	$357	$721	$10,897	$3,569	$13,475
Rowan Academy - Bluegrass Discovery	Public	6-12	551 Viking Drive	Morehead	40351	Rowan County	Rowan County	No	No	No	No	(606) 780-9992	31	4	7.7	80.6%	28 (90.3%)	1 (3.2%)	2 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Rowan County Senior High School	Public	9-12	499 Viking Drive	Morehead	40351	Rowan County	Rowan County	No	No	No	No	(606) 784-8956	904	46	19.6	54.9%	831 (91.9%)	11 (1.2%)	33 (3.7%)	8 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (2.2%)	49.6	126^th of 254 public high schools	50.4%		48.5	144^th of 290 public high schools	50.3%	18	40.0	55.0		42.0	37.0	35.0	$18,516	$418	$415	$833	$7,479	$10,205	$17,684
Morehead Youth Development Center	Public	7-12	495 Forest Hills Drive	Morehead	40351	Rowan County	Rowan County	No	No	No	No	(606) 783-8575	15	3	5.0	20.0%	7 (46.7%)	6 (40.0%)	1 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (6.7%)								(n/a)
Morehead Transition Academy	Public	5-12	495 Forest Hills Drive	Morehead	40351	Rowan County	Rowan County	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(606) 783-8565	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about West Carter County High School

What district is West Carter County High School in?

Carter County

What schools feed into West Carter County High School?

West Carter County High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Carter City Elementary School
Elementary : Olive Hill Elementary School
Elementary : Tygart Creek Elementary School
Middle : West Carter Middle School

What is the racial makeup of West Carter County High School?

Students at West Carter County High School are 97% White, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend West Carter County High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 506 students attended West Carter County High School.

Is West Carter County High School a good school?

West Carter County High School ranks 131^st of 254 Kentucky high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate West Carter County High School!

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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.