Our Affiliated Project: Letcher County Central High School in Whitesburg, Kentucky

facts about Letcher County Central High School:

  • Grades served: Ninth – twelfth
  • Average enrollment: 930 students
  • Facility description: The school building is a new, two-story, red brick building equipped with classrooms, a library, a cafeteria, a gymnasium, and a separate technology center, which is shared by students and members of the community.
  • Education: Based on the KY Program of Studies and the KY Core Content. To view the school’s state report card, visit www.k12.ky.us.
  • Academic Schedule: The school year typically begins the first week of August and ends the second week of May. Normal holidays are observed.
  • Sports and Activities: Letcher County Central High offers a wide range of clubs and extracurricular activities, including vocational courses, a Speech Team, JROTC, programs for office workers and peer tutors, a Pep and Marching Band with Color Guard (which, along with members of the ROTC Cadet Honor Guard, performed in the parade to commemorate the second inauguration of President Barack Obama), and sixteen athletic teams, many of which have also received national recognition.

Located in the heart of Kentucky’s Eastern Coal Region, Letcher County holds the unfortunate distinction of having the second-largest unemployment rate in Kentucky. Coal from this region once fueled factories, powered locomotives, and heated millions of homes. However, the coal industry, which once employed the majority of the area’s workforce, has sharply declined due to automation and the increased use of other fuels. Lack of employment opportunities has resulted in widespread poverty, along with associated socioeconomic issues such as drug abuse, obesity, and domestic issues. Built to consolidate the three existing high schools of the district into a single school, Letcher County Central High School opened in 2005.

Its mission is simple yet profound: “to provide a quality education for every student in Letcher County, ensuring each student will achieve his/her full potential in order to make a positive contribution in our community, nation, and world.” The school has received a “bronze” rating from “U.S. News Best High Schools” and has received similar recognition for its sports teams, clubs, and marching band. In an area constantly menaced by poverty and its devastating effects, Letcher County Central High School serves as a beacon of hope for its students, giving them the opportunity to rise above the difficult circumstances from which they come.