West Pennyroyal News

Franklin-Simpson High School had the highest enrollment among Simpson County schools, welcoming 909 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 73.9% of Franklin-Simpson High School's total enrollment.

Among the six schools in Simpson County, Simpson Elementary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 762 students, while Franklin-Simpson Middle School welcomed 669 students and ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

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

In the previous school year, Franklin-Simpson High School also had the highest number of students among Simpson 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
Franklin-Simpson High School	Franklin	909
Simpson Elementary School	Franklin	762
Franklin-Simpson Middle School	Franklin	669
Lincoln Elementary School	Franklin	493
Franklin Elementary School	Franklin	378
Franklin-Simpson High School West Campus	Franklin	154