Our Affiliated Site: Highland Turner Elementary School in Kentucky

facts about HIGHLAND-TURNER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: 

  • Grades Served: Preschool – seventh grade
  • Average Enrollment: 210 students
  • Faculty: 15 classroom teachers and teachers for special education, art, music, and speech
  • School Facilities: The school was built in 1990 and consolidated Highland and Turner Elementary Schools. The school has 15 classrooms, two special education rooms, two rooms for preschoolers, a library, a computer lab, a gymnasium, and a cafeteria.
  • Meals: Breakfast and lunch are served daily.
  • Percentage of Students on the Federal Free or Reduced-Price Meal Program: 96%
  • Sports and Activities: Basketball, football, cheerleading, 4-H club, academic team, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts.
  • School Curriculum: Based on the KY Program of Studies and the KY Core Content.
  • Academic Schedule: The school year normally begins the first week of August and ends the second week of May. Normal holidays are observed.

Highland-Turner Elementary School is located in Breathitt County, Kentucky. Breathitt County has the unfortunate distinction of being named one of the poorest counties in the United States. Many generations of families have lived in the substandard housing that is scattered throughout the mountain hollows.

Today, most of these dwellings remain very primitive and lack adequate water or sanitary facilities. Additionally, few employment opportunities remain in this once-prosperous county, which thrived on the now-declining coal mining industry. Highland-Turner Elementary School serves as a beacon of hope to the surrounding community. Many of its students look forward to their schooldays here, where they are looked after by a caring staff and given a well-rounded education — the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.