Jackson Purchase News

There were 133 African American students enrolled in Fulton Independent School District schools in the 2022-23 school year, 14.7% more than the previous year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Data showed that Fulton Independent School District welcomed 375 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 35.5% of the student body to be the second most represented ethnicity in the district.

Fulton Independent School District roughly covers one school within Fulton County and has a main office in Fulton.

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.

Year	Total District Enrollment	Total African American Students	African American %
2022-23	375	133	35.5%
2021-22	372	116	31.2%
2020-21	363	128	35.3%
2019-20	334	125	37.4%