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Powell County High School

Q: Is Powell County High School a good school?

Powell County High School ranks 189 th of 254 Kentucky high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

189^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 254 Kentucky High Schools

Better than 26% of Kentucky high schools

Summary

Powell County High School is a public high school located in Stanton, Kentucky, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 614 students. The school is part of the Powell County School District, which is ranked 145 out of 157 districts in Kentucky and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Powell County High School consistently ranks in the bottom half of Kentucky high schools, with academic performance, as measured by standardized test scores, significantly below the state average across all subject areas. The school's 4-year graduation rate is slightly below the state average, and its dropout rate is higher than the state average. Additionally, Powell County High School has a very high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 25.0% to 49.1% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school also has a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

Despite the relatively high per-student spending at Powell County High School, the school's academic outcomes are significantly below the state average, suggesting that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution to improving the school's performance. Interestingly, Montgomery County High School, a larger high school in a neighboring district, outperforms Powell County High School across most academic metrics, with higher test scores, graduation rates, and lower chronic absenteeism. Similarly, Estill County High School, another nearby school, also outperforms Powell County High School in academic performance, but has a similar high rate of chronic absenteeism.

580

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,154

Per pupil spending ?

61.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

700 W College Ave
Stanton, KY 40380

(606) 663-3320

District: Powell County

Feeder schools for Powell County High School:

Elementary:	Bowen Elementary School
	Clay City Elementary School
	Stanton Elementary School
Middle:	Powell County Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

96.4%

Hispanic:

2.2%

Two or more races:

1.2%

See top rated Kentucky high schools

Compare Powell County High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 17th percentile in 2023 → 26th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 26th (2025) from a 17th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Kentucky average (31% vs 39% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (49% vs 25% Kentucky)

!Reading scores 20 pts below the Kentucky average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school31%

District avg29%

Kentucky avg39%

189^th of 254

Kentucky public high schools ?

Bottom 26%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 33% (2015) to bottom 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Kentucky High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

145^th of 157Powell 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	30.6	189 of 254	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.4	227 of 290	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.8	229 of 276	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.8	215 of 271	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.3	199 of 267	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.7	216 of 285	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.7	184 of 271	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	41.7	200 of 287	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	43.2	191 of 288	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	38.9	199 of 295	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	34.5	207 of 290	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	31.8	213 of 291	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	17.6	211 of 229	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	29.5	181 of 226	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	15.6	206 of 223	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	23.3	183 of 217	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	7.3	215 of 217	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	12.9	208 of 217	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2022	40.1	91 of 153	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.7	130 of 154	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.6	117 of 166	29.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.0	123 of 166	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	51.0	119 of 239	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	21.0	212 of 261	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	227 of 253	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.6	196 of 252	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.5	182 of 236	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.4	209 of 249	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.0	184 of 234	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2018	48.1	72 of 115	37.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	35.4	166 of 242	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	15.9	233 of 274	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.4	221 of 272	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.1	221 of 266	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.8	194 of 234	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.0	189 of 254	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.1	155 of 232	33.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	17.0	209 of 239	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.0	221 of 262	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	202 of 259	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.9	209 of 257	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.6	192 of 238	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.4	195 of 251	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.4	153 of 237	35.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2024	38.1	90 of 168	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.9	124 of 162	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.6	191 of 226	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	22.4	203 of 251	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.3	235 of 273	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	240 of 264	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.7	229 of 260	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.1	169 of 203	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.5	190 of 219	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.2	165 of 198	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)50th percentile+25 vs school

Special Education (2024)46th percentile+25 vs school

Disabled (2022)41st percentile+20 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2018)37th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)31st percentile+6 vs school

White (2025)19th percentile-6 vs school

Male (2025)13th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Kentucky (2024-2025) ?

Editing and Mechanics42%~ state avg

Writing40%-5 vs state

Social Studies39%~ state avg

Reading27%-20 vs state

Mathematics22%-19 vs state

Science14%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Powell 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 8th Grade	KSA Mathematics 10th 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
Powell County High School	Public	9-12	700 W College Ave	Stanton	40380	Powell County	Powell County	No	No	No	No	(606) 663-3320	580	38	15.1	61.6%	559 (96.4%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.2%)	30.6	189^th of 254 public high schools	25.6%		20.4	227^th of 290 public high schools	21.7%	38		22.0		27.0	14.0		40.0		39.0		42.0	$16,154	$529	$444	$1,820	$10,123	$4,045	$13,322
Powell County Academy	Public, Virtual	6-12	642 Rose Way	Stanton	40380	Powell County	Powell County	No	No	Yes	No	(606) 663-3505	55	2	27.5	78.2%	53 (96.4%)	2 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)									21.0
Estill County Area Technology Center	Public	9-12	495 Engineer Road	Irvine	40336	Estill County	Kentucky Technical System	No	No	No	No	(606) 723-2181	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Estill County High School	Public	9-12	397 Engineer Rd	Irvine	40336	Estill County	Estill County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 723-3537	643	39	16.7	62.4%	621 (96.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.9%)	36.5	176^th of 254 public high schools	30.7%		57.7	110^th of 290 public high schools	62.1%	66		36.0		43.0	18.0		39.0		36.0		33.0	$6,705	$2,127	$45	$2,172	$3,018	$4,215	$7,233
Estill County Success Academy	Public, Virtual	6-12	253 Main St	Irvine	40336	Estill County	Estill County	No	No	Yes	No	(606) 723-2181	58	2	29.0	84.5%	56 (96.6%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.7%)								(n/a)				12.0
Montgomery County Area Technology Center	Public	8-12	682 Woodford St	Mount Sterling	40353	Montgomery County	Kentucky Technical System	No	No	No	No	(859) 498-1103	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Montgomery County High School	Public	9-12	724 Woodford Drive	Mount Sterling	40353	Montgomery County	Montgomery County	No	No	No	No	(859) 497-8765	1,345	71	18.9	51.4%	1,164 (86.5%)	24 (1.8%)	106 (7.9%)	8 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	41 (3.0%)	50.9	120^th of 254 public high schools	52.8%		63.7	90^th of 290 public high schools	69.0%	30		38.0		49.0	26.0		38.0		38.0		43.0	$13,893	$961	$822	$1,783	$7,408	$3,039	$10,464
The Sterling School	Public	6-12	724 Woodford Drive	Mount Sterling	40353	Montgomery County	Montgomery County	No	No	No	No	(859) 497-8761	64	4	17.0	82.8%	59 (92.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.6%)								(n/a)
Menifee County High School	Public	8-12	119 Indian Creek Road	Frenchburg	40322	Menifee County	Menifee County	No	No	No	No	(606) 768-8002	376	21	17.6	71.5%	361 (96.0%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.1%)	20.1	208^th of 254 public high schools	18.1%		43.2	161^st of 290 public high schools	44.5%	47	21.0	30.0	31.0	37.0		23.0	17.0	23.0	27.0	34.0	30.0	$25,710	$1,575	$1,102	$2,677	$11,427	$4,414	$15,841
Gateway Children's Services	Public	5-12	37 North Maysville	Mount Sterling	40353	Montgomery County	Montgomery County	No	No	No	No	(859) 497-6428	17	1	13.6	17.6%	13 (76.5%)	2 (11.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (11.8%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Powell County High School

What district is Powell County High School in?

Powell County

How many students attend Powell County High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 580 students attended Powell County High School.

What is the racial makeup of Powell County High School?

Students at Powell County High School are 96% White, 2% Hispanic, 1% Two or more races.

Is Powell County High School a good school?

Powell County High School ranks 189^th of 254 Kentucky high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What schools feed into Powell County High School?

Powell County High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bowen Elementary School
Elementary : Clay City Elementary School
Elementary : Stanton Elementary School
Middle : Powell 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.