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Thomas Nelson High School

Q: Is Thomas Nelson High School a good school?

Thomas Nelson High School ranks 167 th of 262 Kentucky high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

167^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 262 Kentucky High Schools

Better than 36% of Kentucky high schools

Summary

Thomas Nelson High School is a public high school serving grades 9–12 and 629 students in Bardstown, Kentucky. In 2025–2026, its KSA results were above the Nelson County district in all six reported subjects, but below Kentucky in all six. The school’s graduation rate was 99%—compared with 98% in the district and 94% statewide—while 31% of students were chronically absent, 8 points above the district and 7 above the state. The key takeaway is that very strong graduation results coexist with a notable attendance challenge.

Compared with nearby traditional high schools, the school’s results are generally around the middle, with clear strengths and weaknesses by subject. Editing and Mechanics was a relative bright spot: 37%, the highest among the six schools, though essentially level with the peer average of 36.8%. Social Studies was the clearest shortfall: 26%, the lowest among the six and 7 points below the nearby-school average. The school was 2–11 points ahead of the district across subjects, but 1–11 points below the state; Math was closest to the state, just 1 point behind. Writing led the district by 11 points, yet remained 7 points below the state.

Recent trends are mixed: Math and Reading each rose 8 points from 2023–2024 to 2025–2026, while Science fell 9 points from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026. SchoolDigger ranks the school at the 36th percentile statewide, with 2 stars; that is far below its 94th-percentile standing in 2015–2016, though its ranking has been fairly steady in recent years. SchoolDigger’s subgroup measure places the school at the 15th percentile for Male Students, down 26 points from the prior year and 21 points below its overall percentile. For Female Students, the ranking rose 19 points to the 48th percentile. The 2024–2025 student-teacher ratio was 19.3, above the nearby traditional-school average of 17.7, and 44% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025.

629

Students ?

19.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,007

Per pupil spending ?

43.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

150 Generals Blvd
Bardstown, KY 40004

(502) 349-4650

District: Nelson County

Feeder schools for Thomas Nelson High School:

Elementary:	Boston School
	New Haven School
Middle:	Old Kentucky Home Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

94.0%

Hispanic:

2.9%

Two or more races:

1.6%

See top rated Kentucky high schools

Compare Thomas Nelson High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 94th percentile in 2016 → 36th in 2026

Strengths

✓99% graduate in 4 years — above the Kentucky average (94%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Kentucky average (34% vs 39% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 24% Kentucky)

!Ranking has slipped — down 58 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg29%

Kentucky avg39%

167^th of 262

Kentucky public high schools ?

Bottom 36%▼ down 58 pts since 2016

From top 6% (2016) to bottom 36% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Kentucky High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2High Schools in the Nelson County

128^th of 158Nelson 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
2026	36.2	167 of 262	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.1	162 of 254	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.0	179 of 290	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.6	176 of 276	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.4	168 of 271	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.3	79 of 267	70.4%	★★★★☆
2019	69.7	61 of 285	78.6%	★★★★☆
2018	69.2	68 of 271	74.9%	★★★★☆
2017	74.6	54 of 287	81.2%	★★★★☆
2016	88.5	17 of 288	94.1%	★★★★★
2015	77.9	42 of 295	85.8%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2021	18.0	136 of 154	11.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	32.1	120 of 166	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	47.0	128 of 244	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.0	169 of 239	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.8	170 of 261	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.7	191 of 253	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.6	173 of 252	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.3	94 of 236	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.1	85 of 249	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	83.9	22 of 234	90.6%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	34.0	171 of 245	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.3	173 of 242	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.9	184 of 274	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.0	196 of 272	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.9	143 of 266	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.8	93 of 234	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	76.0	39 of 254	84.6%	★★★★☆
2018	63.0	66 of 232	71.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	21.0	206 of 243	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.0	141 of 239	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.9	173 of 262	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.5	158 of 259	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.2	112 of 257	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.1	79 of 238	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.3	89 of 251	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.6	116 of 237	51.1%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2024	37.9	92 of 168	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.4	108 of 226	52.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	28.3	183 of 253	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.7	163 of 251	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.0	199 of 273	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.8	200 of 264	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.0	179 of 260	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.2	80 of 203	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.4	102 of 219	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.1	64 of 198	67.7%	★★★☆☆

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 (2026)48th percentile+11 vs school

Special Education (2024)45th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)30th percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)28th percentile-9 vs school

Male (2026)15th percentile-21 vs school

Disabled (2021)12th percentile-59 vs school

By subject vs Kentucky (2025-2026) ?

Reading46%-3 vs state

Writing40%-7 vs state

Mathematics39%~ state avg

Editing and Mechanics37%-3 vs state

Social Studies26%-11 vs state

Science17%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Thomas Nelson High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				KSA Mathematics (2026)				KSA Reading (2026)				KSA Science (2026)		KSA Writing (2026)		KSA Social Studies (2026)		KSA Editing and Mechanics (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	KSA Mathematics 6th Grade	KSA Mathematics 7th Grade	KSA Mathematics 8th Grade	KSA Mathematics 10th Grade	KSA Reading 6th Grade	KSA Reading 7th Grade	KSA Reading 8th Grade	KSA Reading 10th Grade	KSA Science 7th 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	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Thomas Nelson High School	Public	9-12	150 Generals Blvd	Bardstown	40004	Nelson County	Nelson County	No	No	No	Yes	(502) 349-4650	629	33	19.3	43.9%	591 (94.0%)	8 (1.3%)	18 (2.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.6%)	36.2	167^th of 262 public high schools	36.3%		42.1	162^nd of 254 public high schools	36.2%	5				39.0				46.0		17.0		40.0		26.0		37.0	$23,007	$824	$16,885
Bardstown High School	Public	9-12	400 N 5th St	Bardstown	40004	Nelson County	Bardstown Independent	No	No	No	No	(502) 331-8802	703	39	18.1	47.4%	458 (65.1%)	84 (11.9%)	64 (9.1%)	18 (2.6%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (10.8%)	47.1	135^th of 262 public high schools	48.5%		57.1	92^nd of 254 public high schools	63.8%	43				43.0				54.0		23.0		38.0		35.0		35.0	$18,958	$167	$14,769
The Up Center	Public	6-12	1060 Bloomfield Rd.	Bardstown	40004	Nelson County	Nelson County	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(502) 348-9096	0	7	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Nelson County High School	Public	9-12	1070 Bloomfield Rd	Bardstown	40004	Nelson County	Nelson County	No	No	No	Yes	(502) 349-7010	756	47	16.1	51.9%	670 (88.6%)	14 (1.9%)	42 (5.6%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.2%)	21	214^th of 262 public high schools	18.3%		38.8	170^th of 254 public high schools	33.1%	44				34.0				39.0		11.0		21.0		24.0		31.0	$21,569	$719	$16,537
Heartland Youth Village	Public, Virtual	6-12	1013 Granite Drive	Bardstown	40004	Nelson County	Nelson County	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(502) 849-3440	15	2	7.5	20.0%	13 (86.7%)	1 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (6.7%)								(n/a)
Spring Meadows	Public	5-12	310 Hope St	Mount Washington	40047	Bullitt County	Bullitt County	No	No	No	No	(502) 538-1200	12	2	6.0	25.0%	9 (75.0%)	2 (16.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (8.3%)								(n/a)																	$24,355	$820	$16,183
Bullitt East High School	Public	9-12	11450 Hwy 44E	Mount Washington	40047	Bullitt County	Bullitt County	No	No	No	No	(502) 869-6400	1,664	85	19.5	31.3%	1,500 (90.1%)	28 (1.7%)	59 (3.5%)	16 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	60 (3.6%)	38.5	160^th of 262 public high schools	38.9%		42.2	161^st of 254 public high schools	36.6%	1				45.0				44.0		14.0		45.0		28.0		35.0	$19,509	$463	$11,636
Bullitt Central High School	Public	9-12	1330 Hwy 44 E	Shepherdsville	40165	Bullitt County	Bullitt County	No	No	No	Yes	(502) 869-6000	1,293	81	15.9	57.2%	1,147 (88.7%)	26 (2.0%)	71 (5.5%)	7 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (3.0%)	33.3	181^st of 262 public high schools	30.9%		24.3	197^th of 254 public high schools	22.4%	16				32.0				44.0		15.0		49.0		28.0		32.0	$21,045	$455	$13,147
Bullitt Alternative Center	Public	6-12	381 High School Dr	Shepherdsville	40165	Bullitt County	Bullitt County	No	No	No	No	(502) 869-6700	34	6	5.6	82.4%	24 (70.6%)	2 (5.9%)	3 (8.8%)	1 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (11.8%)								(n/a)																	$41,637	$1,577	$32,708
Bullitt County Area Technology Center	Public	8-12	395 High School Drive	Shepherdsville	40165	Bullitt County	Kentucky Technical System	No	No	No	No	(502) 543-7018	0	0		—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Thomas Nelson High School

What district is Thomas Nelson High School in?

Nelson County

How many students attend Thomas Nelson High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 629 students attended Thomas Nelson High School.

What schools feed into Thomas Nelson High School?

Thomas Nelson High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Boston School
Elementary : New Haven School
Middle : Old Kentucky Home Middle School

Is Thomas Nelson High School a good school?

Thomas Nelson High School ranks 167^th of 262 Kentucky high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Thomas Nelson High School?

Students at Thomas Nelson High School are 94% White, 3% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% African American.

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Latest Kentucky data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataOct 15, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 KSA test scoresOct 15, 2026

2024–25 KSA test scoresOct 30, 2025

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.