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Johnson Central High School

Public Grades 9-12

19^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 254 Kentucky High Schools

Better than 93% of Kentucky high schools

Summary

Johnson Central High School is a public high school located in Paintsville, Kentucky, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 913 students. The school is part of the Johnson County School District, which is ranked 30th out of 157 districts in Kentucky and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Johnson Central High School consistently ranks among the top high schools in Kentucky, with a statewide ranking of 19th out of 254 schools in the 2024-2025 school year, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's performance on state assessments, such as the Kentucky State Assessments (KSA), is significantly higher than the state and county averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 62% of 10th-grade students were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 55% in the Johnson County district and 41% statewide. The school also outperforms the state and county on other subject areas, including Reading, Science, and Writing.

Compared to nearby high schools, such as Martin County High School and Magoffin County High School, Johnson Central High School consistently outperforms them on academic measures, graduation rates, and student subgroup performance. However, the school's chronic absenteeism rate is a concern, ranging from 25.0% to 45.4% in recent years, which is higher than the state average and may be an area for improvement.

888

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$41,924

Per pupil spending ?

56.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

257 North Mayo Trail
Paintsville, KY 41240

(606) 789-2500

District: Johnson County

Feeder schools for Johnson Central High School:

Elementary:	Central Elementary School
	Flat Gap Elementary School
	Highland Elementary School
	Porter Elementary School
	More...
	W R Castle Memorial Elementary School
Middle:	Johnson County Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

96.7%

Two or more races:

1.5%

Hispanic:

0.8%

See top rated Kentucky high schools

Compare Johnson Central High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 64th percentile in 2015 → 93rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Kentucky average (54% vs 39% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of Kentucky high schools

✓97% graduate in 4 years — above the Kentucky average (94%)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (45% vs 25% Kentucky)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school54%

District avg48%

Kentucky avg39%

19^th of 254

Kentucky public high schools ?

Top 7%▲ up 28 pts since 2015

From top 36% (2015) to top 7% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Kentucky High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

30^th of 157Johnson 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	86.2	19 of 254	92.5%	★★★★★
2024	77.1	39 of 290	86.6%	★★★★☆
2023	69.4	54 of 276	80.4%	★★★★☆
2022	51.4	117 of 271	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	28.1	201 of 267	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.8	161 of 285	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.9	161 of 271	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	48.3	179 of 287	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	51.6	148 of 288	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	62.6	105 of 295	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	62.3	95 of 290	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	54.1	129 of 291	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	49.5	106 of 229	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	25.7	188 of 226	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	40.2	145 of 223	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	29.9	167 of 217	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	49.2	107 of 217	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	50.8	95 of 217	56.2%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2022	39.6	94 of 153	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.8	112 of 154	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	72.1	27 of 166	83.7%	★★★★☆
2018	84.7	16 of 166	90.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	86.8	17 of 239	92.9%	★★★★★
2024	75.6	38 of 261	85.4%	★★★★☆
2023	58.1	96 of 253	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.7	129 of 252	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.1	174 of 236	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.6	149 of 249	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.8	150 of 234	35.9%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2019	8.3	101 of 102	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.2	101 of 115	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	92.4	10 of 242	95.9%	★★★★★
2024	78.8	28 of 274	89.8%	★★★★★
2023	80.7	20 of 272	92.6%	★★★★★
2022	51.5	113 of 266	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.7	124 of 234	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.8	109 of 254	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.3	109 of 232	53.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	79.5	30 of 239	87.4%	★★★★☆
2024	73.1	50 of 262	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	72.8	36 of 259	86.1%	★★★★☆
2022	50.8	106 of 257	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	26.8	183 of 238	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.7	146 of 251	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.4	108 of 237	54.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	95.1	3 of 86	96.5%	★★★★★
2024	95.2	5 of 168	97.0%	★★★★★
2023	57.4	37 of 162	77.2%	★★★★☆
2019	44.2	136 of 226	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	79.2	35 of 251	86.1%	★★★★☆
2024	69.1	64 of 273	76.6%	★★★★☆
2023	59.5	84 of 264	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.0	141 of 260	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	9.4	190 of 203	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	38.2	150 of 219	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.3	158 of 198	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)97th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)96th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)93rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)87th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)86th percentile-6 vs school

Disabled (2022)39th percentile-18 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2019)1st percentile-43 vs school

By subject vs Kentucky (2024-2025) ?

Reading69%+22 vs state

Mathematics62%+21 vs state

Writing61%+16 vs state

Social Studies52%+14 vs state

Editing and Mechanics50%+9 vs state

Science32%+10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Johnson Central 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 7th Grade	KSA Mathematics 8th Grade	KSA Mathematics 10th Grade	KSA Reading 7th Grade	KSA Reading 8th Grade	KSA Reading 10th Grade	KSA Science 11th Grade	KSA Writing 8th Grade	KSA Writing 11th Grade	KSA Social Studies 8th 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
Johnson Central High School	Public	9-12	257 North Mayo Trail	Paintsville	41240	Johnson County	Johnson County	No	No	No	No	(606) 789-2500	888	72	12.3	56.5%	859 (96.7%)	3 (0.3%)	7 (0.8%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.5%)	86.2	19^th of 254 public high schools	92.5%		77.1	39^th of 290 public high schools	86.6%	20			62.0			69.0	32.0		61.0		52.0		50.0	$41,924	$1,460	$1,175	$2,635	$11,422	$4,047	$15,469
Paintsville High School	Public	7-12	225 2nd St	Paintsville	41240	Johnson County	Paintsville Independent	No	No	No	No	(606) 789-2656	318	26	12.2	47.2%	302 (95.0%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.2%)	7 (2.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	70.6	51^st of 254 public high schools	79.9%		78.3	35^th of 290 public high schools	87.9%	16	36.0	46.0	52.0	58.0	39.0	63.0		46.0	52.0	40.0	38.0	44.0	46.0	$22,443	$1,120	$598	$1,713	$12,323	$2,075	$14,418
Prestonsburg High School	Public	9-12	825 Blackcat Boulevard	Prestonsburg	41653	Floyd County	Floyd County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 886-2252	508	30	17.1	65.0%	480 (94.5%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (3.3%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.2%)	44	153^rd of 254 public high schools	39.8%		47.9	146^th of 290 public high schools	49.7%	7			24.0			43.0	15.0		59.0		33.0		46.0	$12,696	$1,770	$1,197	$2,967	$7,265	$2,464	$9,730
Home Instruction High School	Public	9-12	106 North Front Avenue	Prestonsburg	41653	Floyd County	Floyd County	No	No	No	No	(606) 886-2354	12	1	12.0	75.0%	12 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Magoffin County High School	Public	9-12	1100 East Mountain Parkway	Salyersville	41465	Magoffin County	Magoffin County	No	No	No	No	(606) 349-2011	538	38	14.1	65.8%	525 (97.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.5%)	21.6	204^th of 254 public high schools	19.7%		25.8	211^th of 290 public high schools	27.2%	7			17.0			39.0			37.0		28.0		28.0	$26,827	$1,471	$659	$2,129	$9,166	$2,292	$11,458
Martin County Area Technology Center	Public	8-12	135 Holly Bush Road	Inez	41224	Martin County	Kentucky Technical System	No	No	No	No	(606) 298-3879	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Martin County High School	Public	9-12	137 Holly Bush Road	Inez	41224	Martin County	Martin County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 298-3591	519	30	17.3	67.4%	499 (96.1%)	4 (0.8%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.1%)	33.7	181^st of 254 public high schools	28.7%		33	196^th of 290 public high schools	32.4%	15			33.0			43.0	14.0		49.0		24.0		35.0	$16,687	$2,656	$1,238	$3,894	$9,226	$5,130	$14,357
Floyd County Area Technology Center	Public	8-12	1024 KY Rt. 122	Martin	41649	Floyd County	Kentucky Technical System	No	No	No	No	(606) 285-3088	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Johnson Central High School

Is Johnson Central High School a good school?

Yes. Johnson Central High School ranks in the top 7.5% of Kentucky high schools.

How many students attend Johnson Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 888 students attended Johnson Central High School.

What district is Johnson Central High School in?

Johnson County

What is the racial makeup of Johnson Central High School?

Students at Johnson Central High School are 97% White, 1% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Johnson Central High School?

Johnson Central High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Central Elementary School
Elementary : Flat Gap Elementary School
Elementary : Highland Elementary School
Elementary : Porter Elementary School
Elementary : W R Castle Memorial Elementary School
Middle : Johnson County Middle 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.