Jackson Purchase News

Graves County High School had the highest enrollment among Graves County schools, welcoming 1,343 students during the 2022-23 school year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2022-23 school year, 50.3% of them were girls, and 49.7% were boys.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 87.9% of Graves County High School's total enrollment.

Among the 13 schools in Graves County, Mayfield Elementary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 831 students, while Graves County Middle School welcomed 621 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

Graves County High School is part of Graves County School District, which roughly covers schools within Graves County and has a main office in Mayfield.

In the previous school year, Graves County High School also had the highest number of students among Graves County schools.

Kentucky is in the midst of a statewide teacher shortage as turnover rates spiked to 10.9% in 2023, up from an 8.9% nine-year average. This issue is more prominent in schools with more low-income and minority students.

Data also shows that between 2019 and 2023, there was an increase of 260% in the number of available teaching posts in Kentucky schools. This often leads to larger class sizes, combining programs, and retaining staff despite potential negative impacts on teacher working conditions.

School name	City	Total School Enrollment
Graves County High School	Mayfield	1,343
Mayfield Elementary School	Mayfield	831
Graves County Middle School	Mayfield	621
Mayfield Middle School	Mayfield	593
Graves County Central Elementary School	Mayfield	545
Mayfield High School	Mayfield	523
Wingo Elementary School	Wingo	512
Sedalia Elementary School	Mayfield	416
Symsonia Elementary School	Symsonia	340
Farmington Elementary School	Mayfield	321
Fancy Farm Elementary School	Fancy Farm	232
Gateway Academy High School	Mayfield	87
Mayfield Youth Development Center	Mayfield	31