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Paducah Tilghman High School

Public Grades 9-12
152nd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 254 Kentucky High Schools
Better than 40% of Kentucky high schools
Summary

Paducah Tilghman High School is a public high school in Paducah, Kentucky, serving around 840 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Paducah Independent School District, which is ranked 98 out of 157 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Paducah Tilghman High School has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking, ranging from a high of 80 out of 271 Kentucky high schools in 2021-2022 (4-star rating) to a low of 199 out of 290 in 2023-2024 (2-star rating). Its current ranking for 2024-2025 is 152 out of 254 (2-star rating). The school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with White students consistently performing the best, while African American and low socioeconomic status students perform much worse. Paducah Tilghman High School has maintained relatively strong four-year graduation rates, ranging from 92.2% to 96.5% in recent years, but has struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 25.0% to 45.0%.

Compared to nearby high schools like Marshall County High School and Livingston Central High School, Paducah Tilghman High School generally performs worse on key metrics such as test scores, graduation rates, and student group performance. The school's per-student spending has fluctuated, ranging from $19,015 in 2020-2021 to $42,934 in 2022-2023, which is higher than Marshall County High School ($18,836 in 2023-2024) but lower than the higher-performing McCracken County High School ($15,044 in 2023-2024).

860
Students ?
15.2
Student/teacher ratio ?
$25,473
Per pupil spending ?
57.6%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 2400 Washington St
       Paducah, KY  42003

(270) 444-5650

District: Paducah Independent


Feeder schools for Paducah Tilghman High School:

Elementary:    Clark Elementary School
    McNabb Elementary School
    Morgan Elementary School
Middle:    Paducah Middle School
Racial breakdown:

African American:
41.2%
White:
39.4%
Two or more races:
11.3%
more
 See top rated Kentucky high schools

 Compare Paducah Tilghman High School to nearby high schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 53rd percentile in 2015 → 40th in 2025
Strengths
96% graduate in 4 years — above the Kentucky average (94%)
Worth a look
!High chronic absenteeism (45% vs 25% Kentucky)
!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2015
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school36%
District avg36%
Kentucky avg39%
152nd of 254
Kentucky public high schools ?
Bottom 40%▼ down 13 pts since 2015
From top 47% (2015) to bottom 40% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Kentucky High Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
98th of 157Paducah Independent 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202544.1152 of 25440.2%★★☆☆☆
202431.7199 of 29031.4%★★☆☆☆
202346.3146 of 27647.1%★★☆☆☆
202262.680 of 27170.5%★★★★☆
202151.0104 of 26761.0%★★★☆☆
201942.1165 of 28542.1%★★☆☆☆
201853.2116 of 27157.2%★★★☆☆
201762.3107 of 28762.7%★★★☆☆
201653.8135 of 28853.1%★★★☆☆
201555.4138 of 29553.2%★★★☆☆
201462.098 of 29066.2%★★★☆☆
201356.4118 of 29159.5%★★★☆☆
201253.792 of 22959.8%★★★☆☆
201136.3149 of 22634.1%★★☆☆☆
201036.8155 of 22330.5%★★☆☆☆
200949.9100 of 21753.9%★★★☆☆
200862.456 of 21774.2%★★★★☆
200756.674 of 21765.9%★★★☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202529.458 of 7522.7%★☆☆☆☆
202422.276 of 9318.3%★☆☆☆☆
202333.455 of 8333.7%★★☆☆☆
202235.157 of 8936.0%★★☆☆☆
202162.617 of 7878.2%★★★★☆
201938.651 of 8942.7%★★☆☆☆
201846.747 of 9450.0%★★★☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202253.050 of 15367.3%★★★☆☆
201845.387 of 16647.6%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202538.5164 of 23931.4%★★☆☆☆
202431.3186 of 26128.7%★☆☆☆☆
202329.6195 of 25322.9%★☆☆☆☆
202260.581 of 25267.9%★★★☆☆
202161.565 of 23672.5%★★★★☆
201940.2166 of 24933.3%★★☆☆☆
201858.096 of 23459.0%★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
201943.471 of 10230.4%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202551.152 of 11554.8%★★★☆☆
202435.384 of 12432.3%★★☆☆☆
202318.8102 of 11612.1%★☆☆☆☆
202273.521 of 11481.6%★★★★☆
201981.212 of 8886.4%★★★★☆

Homeless

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202464.111 of 3063.3%★★★☆☆
202260.89 of 3271.9%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202531.1177 of 24226.9%★☆☆☆☆
202414.1242 of 27411.7%★☆☆☆☆
202336.3180 of 27233.8%★★☆☆☆
202250.6115 of 26656.8%★★★☆☆
202156.671 of 23469.7%★★★★☆
201930.2191 of 25424.8%★☆☆☆☆
201846.4131 of 23243.5%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202551.9101 of 23957.7%★★★☆☆
202428.9190 of 26227.5%★☆☆☆☆
202358.684 of 25967.6%★★★☆☆
202263.367 of 25773.9%★★★★☆
202139.2129 of 23845.8%★★☆☆☆
201943.5153 of 25139.0%★★☆☆☆
201843.3138 of 23741.8%★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202543.452 of 8941.6%★★☆☆☆
202419.177 of 8711.5%★☆☆☆☆
202362.323 of 7669.7%★★★★☆
202275.110 of 7787.0%★★★★☆
202156.321 of 4957.1%★★★☆☆
201836.631 of 4226.2%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202346.170 of 16256.8%★★★☆☆
201939.5149 of 22634.1%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202585.325 of 25190.0%★★★★★
202475.642 of 27384.6%★★★★☆
202377.735 of 26486.7%★★★★☆
202287.121 of 26091.9%★★★★★
202171.534 of 20383.3%★★★★☆
201974.939 of 21982.2%★★★★☆
201881.228 of 19885.9%★★★★☆
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)
White (2025)90th percentile+50 vs school
Disabled (2022)67th percentile-3 vs school
Homeless (2024)63rd percentile+32 vs school
Male (2025)58th percentile+18 vs school
Special Education (2023)57th percentile+10 vs school
Hispanic (2025)55th percentile+15 vs school
Multi-racial (2025)42nd percentile~ school
Female (2025)31st percentile-9 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2019)30th percentile-12 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)27th percentile-13 vs school
African American (2025)23rd percentile-17 vs school
By subject vs Kentucky (2024-2025) ?
Reading52%+5 vs state
Mathematics43%~ state avg
Editing and Mechanics39%~ state avg
Social Studies36%~ state avg
Writing31%-14 vs state
Science18%-4 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Paducah Tilghman High School

In the 2024-25 school year, 860 students attended Paducah Tilghman High School.

Paducah Tilghman High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Clark Elementary School
Elementary : McNabb Elementary School
Elementary : Morgan Elementary School
Middle : Paducah Middle School

Paducah Tilghman High School ranks 152nd of 254 Kentucky high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students at Paducah Tilghman High School are 41% African American, 39% White, 11% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic.


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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.





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