Jackson Purchase News

Marshall County High School had the highest enrollment among Marshall County schools, welcoming 1,260 students during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2023-24 school year, 51.7% of them were boys, and 48.3% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, making up 92.8% of Marshall County High School's total enrollment.

Among the 11 schools in Marshall County, Benton Elementary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 571 students, while North Marshall Middle School welcomed 517 students and ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

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

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

According to the Kentucky Department of Education, 13% of teacher vacancies in the state remained unfilled throughout the 2023-24 school year.

District leaders also raised concerns about applicant quality, with 49% saying candidates were similar to the previous year and 42% saying they were of lower quality.

Currently, after adjusting for inflation, the average teacher salary in Kentucky is nearly 20% lower than in 2008. State data shows teachers earn about $14,000 less in real terms.

School name	City	Total School Enrollment
Marshall County High School	Benton	1,260
Benton Elementary School	Benton	571
North Marshall Middle School	Calvert City	517
Central Elementary School	Benton	495
South Marshall Middle School	Benton	484
Sharpe Elementary School	Benton	329
Calvert City Elementary School	Calvert City	320
South Marshall Elementary School	Benton	282
Jonathan Elementary School	Benton	273
Mc Academy	Benton	162
Purchase Youth Village	Benton	68