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McCreary Central High School

Q: Is McCreary Central High School a good school?

McCreary Central High School ranks 173 rd of 254 Kentucky high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend McCreary Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 711 students attended McCreary Central High School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of McCreary Central High School?

Students at McCreary Central High School are 95% White, 3% Hispanic, 1% Two or more races.

Q: What schools feed into McCreary Central High School?

McCreary Central High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Whitley City Elementary School Middle : McCreary County Middle School

Public Grades 9-12

173^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 254 Kentucky High Schools

Better than 32% of Kentucky high schools

Summary

McCreary Central High School is a public high school in Stearns, Kentucky, serving 718 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the McCreary County School District, which is ranked 79 out of 157 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While the school maintains a relatively high four-year graduation rate, it has consistently ranked in the lower half of Kentucky high schools in academic performance, with below-average scores on state assessments and the ACT exam. The school's performance is particularly concerning for certain student subgroups, such as female students, white students, and students with disabilities, who have consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Kentucky high schools. Additionally, the school has struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, which are significantly higher than the state average.

When compared to nearby schools, the performance gap is quite significant. For example, Whitley County High School consistently ranks in the top 10-15% of Kentucky high schools and outperforms McCreary Central High School across various academic metrics, including test scores, graduation rates, and chronic absenteeism. Despite the increased per-student spending and smaller class sizes at McCreary Central High School, the school's academic performance remains a concern, suggesting the need for targeted interventions to improve student outcomes.

711

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,167

Per pupil spending ?

77.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

400 Raider Way
Stearns, KY 42647

(606) 376-5051

District: McCreary County

Feeder schools for McCreary Central High School:

Elementary:	Whitley City Elementary School
Middle:	McCreary County Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

95.4%

Hispanic:

2.5%

Two or more races:

1.4%

See top rated Kentucky high schools

Compare McCreary Central High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 39th percentile in 2015 → 32nd in 2025

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (44% vs 25% Kentucky)

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg35%

Kentucky avg39%

173^rd of 254

Kentucky public high schools ?

Bottom 32%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 39% (2015) to bottom 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Kentucky High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

79^th of 157McCreary 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	38.0	173 of 254	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.5	183 of 290	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.0	164 of 276	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.5	140 of 271	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.7	181 of 267	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.6	145 of 285	49.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.9	131 of 271	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	58.3	129 of 287	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	39.6	200 of 288	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	44.8	181 of 295	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	34.9	206 of 290	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	39.7	198 of 291	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	33.9	163 of 229	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	40.4	144 of 226	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	23.9	189 of 223	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	15.2	205 of 217	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	20.0	190 of 217	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	14.7	202 of 217	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2022	28.6	122 of 153	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	55.3	48 of 154	68.8%	★★★★☆
2019	97.2	2 of 166	98.8%	★★★★★
2018	91.8	11 of 166	93.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	30.6	183 of 239	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.0	199 of 261	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.7	157 of 253	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.5	138 of 252	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.4	172 of 236	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	65.4	74 of 249	70.3%	★★★★☆
2018	56.4	104 of 234	55.6%	★★★☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2024	10.7	4 of 4	0.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	21.2	1 of 1	0.0%	★★★★★
2018	69.7	2 of 7	71.4%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2019	46.5	65 of 102	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.4	40 of 115	65.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	44.8	131 of 242	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.3	170 of 274	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.9	99 of 272	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.7	114 of 266	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.2	162 of 234	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.7	81 of 254	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.2	56 of 232	75.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	41.6	137 of 239	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.0	157 of 262	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.2	160 of 259	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.9	149 of 257	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.3	169 of 238	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.5	160 of 251	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.1	148 of 237	37.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	28.1	63 of 86	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.8	124 of 168	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.7	100 of 162	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.7	125 of 226	44.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	30.9	182 of 251	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.0	198 of 273	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.0	173 of 264	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.0	158 of 260	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.0	161 of 219	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.4	122 of 198	38.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)46th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2025)43rd percentile+11 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2019)36th percentile-13 vs school

White (2025)27th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2025)27th percentile-5 vs school

Female (2025)23rd percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2022)20th percentile-28 vs school

Foster Care (2024)<1st percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs Kentucky (2024-2025) ?

Reading48%~ state avg

Writing41%-4 vs state

Mathematics39%~ state avg

Social Studies31%-7 vs state

Editing and Mechanics30%-11 vs state

Science19%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near McCreary 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 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
McCreary Central High School	Public	9-12	400 Raider Way	Stearns	42647	McCreary County	McCreary County	No	No	No	No	(606) 376-5051	711	45	15.8	77.6%	678 (95.4%)	3 (0.4%)	18 (2.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.4%)	38	173^rd of 254 public high schools	31.9%		37.5	183^rd of 290 public high schools	36.9%	10	39.0	48.0	19.0	41.0	31.0		30.0	$16,167	$1,430	$790	$2,221	$8,619	$2,837	$9,509
Colonel Academy	Public, Virtual	7-12	300 Main Street	Williamsburg	40769	Whitley County	Whitley County	No	No	Yes	No	(606) 549-7000	172	1	172.0	41.3%	170 (98.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0.9	253^rd of 254 public high schools	0.4%		5.3	274^th of 290 public high schools	5.5%	21					7.0	31.0	5.0
Whitley County Alternative School	Public, Virtual	7-12	351 Boulevard of Champions	Williamsburg	40769	Whitley County	Whitley County	No	No	Yes	No	(606) 549-7050	52	5	10.4	88.5%	46 (88.5%)	3 (5.8%)	1 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.8%)								(n/a)
Whitley County High School	Public	9-12	350 Blvd of Champions	Williamsburg	40769	Whitley County	Whitley County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 549-7025	919	68	13.5	72.7%	883 (96.1%)	5 (0.5%)	15 (1.6%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.4%)	78.5	36^th of 254 public high schools	85.8%		78.8	34^th of 290 public high schools	88.3%	2	58.0	54.0	30.0	56.0	46.0		55.0	$14,964	$1,967	$921	$2,889	$7,910	$2,281	$10,192

Frequently Asked Questions about McCreary Central High School

What is the racial makeup of McCreary Central High School?

Students at McCreary Central High School are 95% White, 3% Hispanic, 1% Two or more races.

Is McCreary Central High School a good school?

McCreary Central High School ranks 173^rd of 254 Kentucky high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into McCreary Central High School?

McCreary Central High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Whitley City Elementary School
Middle : McCreary County Middle School

How many students attend McCreary Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 711 students attended McCreary Central High School.

What district is McCreary Central High School in?

McCreary County

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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.