Nelson County High School

Summary:

Nelson County High School is a public high school located in Bardstown, Kentucky, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 784 students. The school is part of the Nelson County School District, which is ranked 148 out of 159 districts in Kentucky and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Nelson County High School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Kentucky high schools, with a ranking between 190-196 out of 276-290 schools in recent years. The school's performance on standardized tests, such as the ACT and Kentucky State Assessments (KSA), is generally below the state averages across various subject areas, particularly in mathematics. However, the school has a relatively high four-year graduation rate of 97.9% for the 2023-2024 school year, which is above the state average. The school's high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 42.47% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch in the 2022-2023 school year, likely contributes to the academic challenges.

Compared to nearby schools, Bullitt East High School outperforms Nelson County High School in academic metrics, with higher proficiency rates and a higher statewide ranking. Other nearby schools, such as Spencer County High School and Washington County High School, also demonstrate stronger academic performance compared to Nelson County High School. Despite the school's current academic struggles, the relatively high graduation rate indicates that the school may have strengths in areas such as student engagement, support, and retention, which could be leveraged to improve overall academic performance.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 1070 Bloomfield Rd
       Bardstown, KY  40004


(502) 349-7010

District: Nelson County

SchoolDigger Rank:
190th of 290 Kentucky High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $11,529 Help


Feeder schools for Nelson County High School:

Elementary:    Bloomfield Elementary School
    Foster Heights Elementary School
Middle:    Bloomfield Middle School

Student/teacher ratio:  17.0 Help
Number of students:  783

Racial breakdown:

White:
89.8%
Hispanic:
4.5%
Two or more races:
2.6%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  47.4% Help


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 Compare Nelson County High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Nelson County High School ranks worse than 65.5% of high schools in Kentucky. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 34.44. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Nelson County High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Nelson County High School has the largest high school student body size in the Nelson County School District. Racial makeup is: White (89.8%), Hispanic (4.5%), two or more races (2.6%). (See more...)
Help
Compare Details 47.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Nelson County School District. (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Nelson County High School is 17. 1 high schools in the Nelson County School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Nelson County High School employs 46 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Nelson County High School is $11,529, which is the highest among 3 high schools in the Nelson County School District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Nelson County High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Nelson County High School 190th of 290 Kentucky public high schools. (See Nelson County High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Nelson County:

SchoolDigger ranks Nelson County 148th of 159 Kentucky school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Nelson County High School?

Rank History for Nelson County High School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Nelson County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2007 36.95 141st 217 35.0%
2008 28.06 171st 217 21.2%
2009 32.66 158th 217 27.2%
2010 29.87 171st 223 23.3%
2011 40.54 143rd 226 36.7%
2012 40.82 136th 229 40.6%
2013 57.61 112th 291 61.5%
2014 51.74 151st 290 47.9%
2015 69.09 76th 295 74.2%
2016 64.47 91st 288 68.4%
2017 48.84 177th 287 38.3%
2018 63.29 80th 271 70.5%
2019 62.16 89th 285 68.8%
2021 30.53 192nd 267 28.1%
2022 30.34 192nd 271 29.2%
2023 29.50 196th 276 29.0%
2024 34.44 190th 290 34.5%
See the entire list of Kentucky High School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Nelson County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 65.66 67th 226 70.4%
2023 60.38 33rd 162 79.6%
2024 43.09 72nd 168 57.1%
See the entire list of Best Kentucky High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Nelson County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 54.64 102nd 232 56.0%
2019 61.97 87th 254 65.7%
2021 38.37 153rd 234 34.6%
2022 43.79 146th 266 45.1%
2023 21.21 226th 272 16.9%
2024 26.72 205th 274 25.2%
See the entire list of Best Kentucky High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Nelson County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 49.52 125th 234 46.6%
2019 67.77 63rd 249 74.7%
2021 35.09 157th 236 33.5%
2022 27.52 195th 252 22.6%
2023 24.31 202nd 253 20.2%
2024 29.79 190th 261 27.2%
See the entire list of Best Kentucky High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Nelson County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 21.03 155th 166 6.6%
2019 12.62 164th 166 1.2%
2022 45.18 68th 153 55.6%
See the entire list of Best Kentucky High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Nelson County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 62.15 80th 237 66.2%
2019 56.36 101st 251 59.8%
2021 26.91 182nd 238 23.5%
2022 33.68 171st 257 33.5%
2023 35.45 164th 259 36.7%
2024 32.58 175th 262 33.2%
See the entire list of Best Kentucky High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Nelson County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 50.84 92nd 198 53.5%
2019 59.69 81st 219 63.0%
2021 17.76 171st 203 15.8%
2022 22.66 209th 260 19.6%
2023 23.53 212th 264 19.7%
2024 26.99 202nd 273 26.0%
See the entire list of Best Kentucky High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Kentucky Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Nelson County High School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 




Data source: Kentucky Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 2)
0%

0%

0%

100%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Saturday, September 19, 2015

Open Quote Kids are bullied and they do nothing about it, also teachurs could be a little more caring and not give a 10 minute introduction on a new subject and expect them to learn it in 2 days because there will be a test.. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Nelson County High School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 1209 28 0 1 0 n/a n/a 0 1238
1989 1151 31 1 0 0 n/a n/a 0 1183
1990 1088 31 2 2 0 n/a n/a 0 1123
1991 1092 30 2 2 1 n/a n/a 0 1127
1992 1217 17 1 6 0 n/a n/a 0 1241
1993 1287 27 2 3 0 n/a n/a 0 1319
1994 1371 31 1 1 0 n/a n/a 8 1412
1995 1425 41 2 3 0 n/a n/a 0 1471
1996 1425 41 2 3 0 n/a n/a 0 1471
1997 1488 44 0 7 0 n/a n/a 0 1539
1998 1472 46 1 5 0 n/a n/a 4 1528
1999 1410 35 1 5 0 n/a n/a 1 1452
2000 1376 31 1 6 1 n/a n/a 3 1418
2001 1413 29 4 7 0 n/a n/a 2 1455
2002 1468 25 6 4 0 n/a n/a 0 1503
2003 1468 25 6 4 0 n/a n/a 0 1503
2004 1484 26 10 7 0 n/a n/a 0 1527
2005 1509 28 9 8 1 n/a n/a 0 1555
2006 1546 30 8 7 0 n/a n/a 0 1591
2007 1613 38 5 7 0 n/a n/a 3 1666
2008 1639 38 5 7 1 n/a n/a 1 1691
2009 1520 33 7 9 0 n/a n/a 5 1574
2010 1431 36 7 11 0 n/a n/a 9 1494
2011 1401 30 6 16 0 0 5 0 1458
2012 1366 18 8 29 2 0 8 0 1431
2013 914 17 3 21 1 0 11 0 967
2014 799 19 7 24 1 0 8 0 858
2015 772 24 5 30 2 0 10 0 843
2016 767 23 3 30 1 0 15 0 839
2017 780 24 2 33 1 0 14 0 854
2018 718 24 2 34 1 0 12 0 791
2019 680 23 3 31 2 1 11 0 751
2020 694 16 7 31 2 0 13 0 763
2021 681 10 6 20 1 0 13 0 731
2022 680 13 5 17 1 0 19 0 735
2023 719 16 7 25 0 0 17 0 784
2024 703 18 7 35 0 0 20 0 783

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Nelson County High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1238 60.1 20.5 n/a
1989 1183 61.9 19.1 n/a
1990 1123 58.5 19.1 n/a
1991 1127 58.4 19.2 n/a
1992 1241 60.0 20.6 n/a
1993 1319 64.9 20.3 n/a
1994 1412 66.8 21.1 n/a
1995 1471 70.5 20.9 n/a
1996 1471 70.5 20.9 n/a
1997 1539 69.5 22.1 16.3
1998 1528 72.0 21.2 17.3
1999 1452 73.2 19.8 22.5
2000 1418 73.6 19.3 18.9
2001 1455 73.5 19.8 23.5
2002 1503 78.2 19.2 42
2003 1503 78.2 19.2 42
2004 1527 79.0 19.3 n/a
2005 1555 80.0 19.4 n/a
2006 1591 82.0 19.4 28
2007 1666 84.0 19.8 29.2
2008 1691 83.0 20.4 35.3
2009 1574 78.0 20.2 32.8
2010 1494 56.1 26.6 37.4
2011 1458 70.9 20.5 37.4
2012 1431 70.3 20.3 41.6
2013 967 50.0 19.3 42.5
2014 858 43.3 19.8 40.9
2015 843 49.0 17.2 41.5
2016 839 47.0 17.8 48.3
2017 854 37.2 22.9 49.4
2018 791 43.7 18.1 49.3
2019 751 39.6 18.9 46.9
2020 763 37.6 20.2 47.1
2021 731 38.0 19.2 50.5
2022 735 37.2 19.7 52.9
2023 784 37.0 21.1 42.5
2024 783 46.0 17.0 47.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Nelson County High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1238 60.1 20.5 n/a
1989 1183 61.9 19.1 n/a
1990 1123 58.5 19.1 n/a
1991 1127 58.4 19.2 n/a
1992 1241 60.0 20.6 n/a
1993 1319 64.9 20.3 n/a
1994 1412 66.8 21.1 n/a
1995 1471 70.5 20.9 n/a
1996 1471 70.5 20.9 n/a
1997 1539 69.5 22.1 16.3
1998 1528 72.0 21.2 17.3
1999 1452 73.2 19.8 22.5
2000 1418 73.6 19.3 18.9
2001 1455 73.5 19.8 23.5
2002 1503 78.2 19.2 42
2003 1503 78.2 19.2 42
2004 1527 79.0 19.3 n/a
2005 1555 80.0 19.4 n/a
2006 1591 82.0 19.4 28
2007 1666 84.0 19.8 29.2
2008 1691 83.0 20.4 35.3
2009 1574 78.0 20.2 32.8
2010 1494 56.1 26.6 37.4
2011 1458 70.9 20.5 37.4
2012 1431 70.3 20.3 41.6
2013 967 50.0 19.3 42.5
2014 858 43.3 19.8 40.9
2015 843 49.0 17.2 41.5
2016 839 47.0 17.8 48.3
2017 854 37.2 22.9 49.4
2018 791 43.7 18.1 49.3
2019 751 39.6 18.9 46.9
2020 763 37.6 20.2 47.1
2021 731 38.0 19.2 50.5
2022 735 37.2 19.7 52.9
2023 784 37.0 21.1 42.5
2024 783 46.0 17.0 47.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Nelson County High School

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YearPersonnel Expenditures from Federal FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from Federal FundsTotal Expenditures from Federal FundsPersonnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2018 $264 (2.4%) $70 (0.6%) $333 (3.0%) $8,537 (76.0%) $2,361 (21.0%) $10,898 (97.0%) $11,231
2019 $214 (1.9%) $44 (0.4%) $258 (2.3%) $8,240 (74.7%) $2,017 (18.3%) $10,258 (92.9%) $11,038
2020 $153 (1.3%) $78 (0.7%) $233 (2.0%) $7,928 (69.3%) $2,096 (18.3%) $10,024 (87.7%) $11,436
2021 $294 (2.4%) $220 (1.8%) $513 (4.2%) $8,023 (65.4%) $2,450 (20.0%) $10,474 (85.4%) $12,262
2022 $421 (3.7%) $248 (2.2%) $669 (5.8%) $7,750 (67.2%) $2,952 (25.6%) $10,702 (92.8%) $11,529

Data source: Kentucky Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Nelson County High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 89th of 285 High schoolsRanks 196th of 276 High schools
 39.8%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
11th Grade English (Nelson County High School)49.244
 5.2%
   11th Grade English (Nelson County)49.942
 7.9%
   11th Grade English (Kentucky)49.147
 2.1%
11th Grade Mathematics (Nelson County High School)38.118
 20.1%
   11th Grade Mathematics (Nelson County)38.520
 18.5%
   11th Grade Mathematics (Kentucky)36.433
 3.4%
11th Grade Reading (Nelson County High School)46.746
 0.7%
   11th Grade Reading (Nelson County)46.940
 6.9%
   11th Grade Reading (Kentucky)4644
 2%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students751784
 4.4%
African American2316
 30.4%
American Indian20
 100%
Asian37
 133.3%
Hispanic3125
 19.4%
Pacific Islander10
 100%
White680719
 5.7%
Two or More Races1117
 54.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients46.9%42.5%
 4.4%


Schools Near Nelson County High School









Frequently Asked Questions about Nelson County High School

Nelson County High School ranks 190th of 290 Kentucky high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Nelson County High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bloomfield Elementary School
Elementary : Foster Heights Elementary School
Middle : Bloomfield Middle School

Students at Nelson County High School are 90% White, 4% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American.

In the 2023-24 school year, 783 students attended Nelson County High 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.





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