West Pennyroyal News

There were 224 African American students enrolled in Russellville Independent School District schools in the 2022-23 school year, 8.2% less than the previous year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Data showed that Russellville Independent School District welcomed 1,293 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 17.3% of the student body to be the second most represented ethnicity in the district.

Russellville Independent School District roughly covers four schools within Logan County and has a main office in Russellville.

Among the four schools in Russellville Independent School District, R. E. Stevenson Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 86 students.

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	1,293	224	17.3%
2021-22	1,319	244	18.5%
2020-21	1,272	227	17.8%
2019-20	1,092	201	18.4%