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Clay County High School

Q: Is Clay County High School a good school?

Clay County High School ranks 93 rd of 254 Kentucky high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

93^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 254 Kentucky High Schools

Better than 63% of Kentucky high schools

Summary

Clay County High School is a public high school located in Manchester, Kentucky, serving 756 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Clay County School District, which is ranked 28 out of 157 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Clay County High School has shown a mixed performance compared to state and county averages. While the school performs better than the state in some areas, such as 10th-grade reading proficiency, it lags behind in others, like 11th-grade science proficiency. The school's ACT test scores are also below the state and county averages. However, the school performs better in certain subgroups, such as female students and students with low socioeconomic status. The school maintains a relatively high four-year graduation rate, ranging from 89.1% to 93.5%, which is comparable to or slightly higher than the state and county averages. Unfortunately, the school has a high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 25.0% to 46.8%, significantly higher than the state and county averages.

Compared to the nearby schools in the Laurel County School District, Clay County High School generally performs worse on academic measures, such as test scores and ACT proficiency. However, it has a higher four-year graduation rate than the smaller, alternative schools in the area, such as McDaniel Learning Center. The nearby South Laurel High School and North Laurel High School, which are part of the higher-performing Laurel County School District, outperform Clay County High School on most academic metrics.

762

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$45,865

Per pupil spending ?

71.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

415 Clay Co High Rd
Manchester, KY 40962

(606) 598-3737

District: Clay County

Feeder schools for Clay County High School:

Elementary:	Big Creek Elementary
	Burning Springs Elementary
	Goose Rock Elementary
	Hacker Elementary School
	More...
	Manchester Elementary School
	Oneida Elementary School
	Paces Creek Elementary
Middle:	Clay County Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

96.1%

Hispanic:

1.3%

African American:

1.2%

See top rated Kentucky high schools

Compare Clay County High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 29th percentile in 2015 → 63rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 34 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Kentucky median (63rd percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (47% vs 25% Kentucky)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg40%

Kentucky avg39%

93^rd of 254

Kentucky public high schools ?

Top 37%▲ up 35 pts since 2015

From bottom 29% (2015) to top 37% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Kentucky High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

28^th of 157Clay 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	56.5	93 of 254	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.7	101 of 290	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.5	91 of 276	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.3	154 of 271	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.1	140 of 267	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.4	200 of 285	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.3	193 of 271	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	46.5	188 of 287	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	33.7	209 of 288	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	35.2	210 of 295	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	31.0	215 of 290	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.3	221 of 291	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	14.6	219 of 229	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	36.3	150 of 226	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	41.5	139 of 223	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	30.2	166 of 217	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	34.1	155 of 217	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	20.6	188 of 217	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2022	43.6	76 of 153	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	24.3	124 of 154	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.3	92 of 166	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	15.1	163 of 166	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	65.7	61 of 239	74.5%	★★★★☆
2024	73.6	47 of 261	82.0%	★★★★☆
2023	48.5	130 of 253	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.1	174 of 252	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	64.4	53 of 236	77.5%	★★★★☆
2019	44.3	156 of 249	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.0	165 of 234	29.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	55.2	86 of 242	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.4	69 of 274	74.8%	★★★★☆
2023	64.0	64 of 272	76.5%	★★★★☆
2022	50.6	116 of 266	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.3	37 of 234	84.2%	★★★★☆
2019	34.4	184 of 254	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.4	186 of 232	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	46.4	124 of 239	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.9	158 of 262	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.3	63 of 259	75.7%	★★★★☆
2022	51.5	101 of 257	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.9	142 of 238	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.1	199 of 251	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.8	194 of 237	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	72.1	12 of 86	86.0%	★★★★☆
2024	48.7	59 of 168	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	20.5	146 of 162	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.1	170 of 226	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	48.3	122 of 251	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.7	121 of 273	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.5	112 of 264	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.2	163 of 260	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.1	141 of 203	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	21.2	170 of 198	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)86th percentile+23 vs school

Female (2025)74th percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)64th percentile~ school

White (2025)51st percentile-12 vs school

Disabled (2022)50th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)48th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Kentucky (2024-2025) ?

Reading56%+9 vs state

Writing52%+7 vs state

Mathematics43%~ state avg

Editing and Mechanics40%~ state avg

Social Studies39%~ state avg

Science19%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Clay 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
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%)	56.5	93^rd of 254 public high schools	63.4%		59.7	101^st of 290 public high schools	65.2%	8	43.0	56.0	19.0	52.0	39.0	40.0	$45,865	$2,091	$234	$2,325	$8,816	$3,166	$11,982
Clay County Area Technology Center	Public	8-12	1097 North Hwy 11	Manchester	40962	Clay County	Kentucky Technical System	No	No	No	No	(606) 598-2194	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Laurel County Day Treatment	Public	6-12	65 Marydell Rd	London	40741	Laurel County	Laurel County	No	No	No	No	(606) 862-6605	63	4	15.7	85.7%	55 (87.3%)	3 (4.8%)	4 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.6%)								(n/a)		30.0
Barnabus Home High School	Public	9-12	4500 Highway 30 W	Annville	40402	Jackson County	Jackson County	No	No	No	No	(606) 364-2111	10	1	20.0	100.0%	9 (90.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Laurel County Schools Center for Innovation	Public	10-12	1100 East Fourth Street	London	40741	Laurel County	Laurel County	No	No	No	No	(606) 862-5580	0	17	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
North Laurel High School	Public	9-12	1300 East Hal Rogers Parkway	London	40741	Laurel County	Laurel County	No	No	No	No	(606) 862-4699	1,252	62	20.1	58.3%	1,170 (93.5%)	12 (1.0%)	35 (2.8%)	13 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.5%)	15 (1.2%)	58	86^th of 254 public high schools	66.1%		78	36^th of 290 public high schools	87.6%	50	49.0	52.0	18.0		42.0		$25,314	$1,315	$1,086	$2,401	$15,977	$3,764	$19,818
McDaniel Learning Center	Public	9-12	275 South Laurel Rd.	London	40744	Laurel County	Laurel County	No	No	No	No	(606) 862-4781	29	4	7.2	89.7%	26 (89.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (10.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
South Laurel High School	Public	9-12	201 South Laurel Rd	London	40744	Laurel County	Laurel County	No	No	No	No	(606) 862-4727	1,119	56	19.9	66.1%	1,019 (91.1%)	16 (1.4%)	48 (4.3%)	7 (0.6%)	3 (0.3%)	4 (0.4%)	22 (2.0%)	79.1	33^rd of 254 public high schools	87.0%		82	24^th of 290 public high schools	91.7%	9	55.0	61.0	27.0		50.0		$29,455	$1,146	$818	$1,964	$16,028	$4,195	$20,223
Jackson County Schools Learning Center	Public	7-12	3331 Highway 421 South	Mc Kee	40447	Jackson County	Jackson County	No	No	No	No	(606) 287-7181	7	1	7.7		6 (85.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Clay County High School

Is Clay County High School a good school?

Clay County High School ranks 93^rd of 254 Kentucky high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Clay County High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 762 students attended Clay County High School.

What schools feed into Clay County High School?

Clay County High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Big Creek Elementary
Elementary : Burning Springs Elementary
Elementary : Goose Rock Elementary
Elementary : Hacker Elementary School
Elementary : Manchester Elementary School
Elementary : Oneida Elementary School
Elementary : Paces Creek Elementary
Middle : Clay County Middle School

What district is Clay County High School in?

Clay County

What is the racial makeup of Clay County High School?

Students at Clay County High School are 96% White, 1% Hispanic, 1% African American.

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Schools in Manchester, KY

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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.